Cavalleria rusticana / Aleko

Cavalleria rusticana

Turiddù and Lola were once lovers; but when he left to join the army, Lola married another man. Although Turridù finds consolation in the arms of Santuzza, his obsessive passion for Lola still burns fiercely. Thus the stage is set for a tale of faithlessness, jealousy and violence, set in a rural community where the church maintains an iron grip on the souls of its people.

Aleko

Rachmaninov’s first opera is a story of emotion run riot. In the past, Aleko turned his back on the restrictions of conventional society and joined a marginalised community where he fell in love with a young woman, Zemfira. But her love for him has grown cold and she finds solace in the arms of a young lover. Driven on by the unforgiving code of honour he has inherited, Aleko exacts a bloody vengeance for this betrayal.