Cavalleria Rusticana Tickets

About Cavalleria Rusticana

This opera takes place in a Sicilian village on Easter morning. A young villager named Turiddu has returned from the military to find his fiancée, Lola, married to the successful teamster, Alfio. Turiddu seduces a young girl in the village named Santuzza as revenge. Lola is extremely jealous and starts an affair with Turiddu. As the curtain rises, the audience sees the village’s main square; on one side is the church and on the other is Lucia’s wine shop and house where she lives with her son, Turiddu. Santuzza is pregnant with Turiddu’s child and suspects he’s having an affair with Lola. She is distressed and goes to Lucia as she comes out of her house. Santuzza asks to see Turiddu, but Lucia tells her he went to the next town to get some wine; Lucia is told that he was seen in the village during the night. Lucia asks Santuzza inside to talk when Alfio comes up on his wagon with villagers; he asks Lucia for some of her fine old wine and she tells him she’s run out and that Turiddu went to get more. He tells her he saw Turiddu early in the morning near his cottage; Lucia starts to look shocked, but Santuzza stops her and Alfio leaves. The villagers go inside the church, but Santuzza stays outside with Lucia. Lucia asks why she wanted her to stay quiet when Alfio said he saw Turiddu. Santuzza tells her of her seduction and Turiddu’s affair with Lola; then she asks Lucia to go into the church and pray for her, as she has been excommunicated. Turiddu shows up and Santuzza scolds him for pretending to be away when he was really with Lola. Lola walks up singing and mocks Santuzza as she goes into the church. Turiddu goes to follow Lola, but Santuzza begs him not to and he rejects her, but she clings to him. He loosens her grip, throws her to the ground and goes into the church. Alfio comes up looking for Lola and is told she was unfaithful with Turiddu. As everyone comes out of the church, Turiddu is in good spirits and invites everyone to his mother’s shop. Alfio joins them and when he is offered wine, he refuses. The women leave and take Lola with them. Alfio then challenges Turiddu to a duel.

They embrace and Turiddu accepts by biting Alfio’s ear, drawing blood, which means it will be a fight to the death. Alfio leaves and Turiddu calls Lucia in and asks her to watch over Santuzza in case he doesn’t come back. He walks out and Lucia weeps. Santuzza walks up and throws her arms around Lucia; the villagers crowd around and, in the distance, a woman is heard screaming that they murdered Turiddu. Santuzza then faints and Lucia collapses into the arms of the women from the village.