- YOSSI ZWECKER
- GLAD EXPRESSION? Scott Piper turns in a powerful performance as Canio in I Pagliacci
A renewed appreciation of Opera Tampa's professionalism and the ever-eloquent Maestro Anton Coppola reverberated with the emotional sweep of Cavalleria rusticana and I Pagliacci — aka Cav and Pag — Friday night at the Straz's Morsani Hall. The production returns for a final show on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m.
A one-act melodrama by Pietro Mascagni, Cavalleria Rusticana, Italian for "Rustic Chivalry" — or, better yet, "As The Old World Turns," brims with lusty romance, jealousy, betrayal and over-the-top tragedy.
Opera Tampa's production brings the shame and persecution with pleasant earth tones. Muted 18th century costumes complement a terra cotta village flanked by a blue-sky backdrop. Coppola conducts a memorable overture with dreamy violins and a flitting touch of flute. (Side note: he appears in his nephew's Godfather III, conducting the opera's intermezzo overture.)
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2012.