Details

A double bill fuelled by sexual jealousy contrasts Wolf-Ferrari's elegant honeymoon comedy with Leoncavallo's shocking story of a double murder. When Gil detects the scent of a cigarette in his apartment, he assumes that his wife, Susanna, has taken a lover, but Susanna's secret is not what it seems. When Canio the clown is told that his wife, Nedda, is unfaithful, he determines to wreak revenge on her and her lover, bringing a bloody end to their Harlequinade. Sophisticated and deadly, Pagliacci was purported to be based on true crime, while Il segreto di Susanna anticipates the screwball comedies of 1930s Hollywood, with music of delicious wit and charm. Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Cast/Performers

Countess Susanna (Countess Susanna -Il segreto di Susanna), Richard Burkhard (Count Gil - Il segreto di Susanna), John Savournin (Sante - Il segreto di Susanna), David Butt Philip (Canio - Pagliacci), Alison Langer (Nedda - Pagliacci), Robert Hayward (Tonio - Pagliacci), Zwakele Tshabalala (Beppe - Pagliacci)

Creatives/Company

Music(s): Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (Ilsegreto di Susanna), Ruggero Leoncavallo (Pagliacci)
Producer: Opera Holland Park
Company(s): City of London Sinfonia, Opera Holland Park Chorus
Conductor(s): John Andrews (Il segreto di Susanna), Francesco Cilluffo (Pagliacci)
Director(s): John Wilkie (Il segreto di Susanna), Martin Lloyd-Evans (Pagliacci)
Design(s): takis (Il segreto di Susanna), Bridget Kimak (Pagliacci)
Lighting(s): Mark Jonathan (Il segreto di Susanna), Mark Jonathan (Pagliacci)
Other: Richard Harker (chorus master and assistant conductor - Pagliacci)