Plácido Domingo stars in Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana

Franco Zeffirelli’s opera productions were, and are, a byword for visual beauty and theatrical splendour, and when he directed a film version of his classic La Scala staging of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana, he reimagined it in truly ravishing style. The cast is headed by the young Plácido Domingo, and Georges Prêtre conducts – recommendation enough for any opera buff. But the real star is Mascagni’s opera itself, and Zeffirelli seamlessly combines location footage from Sicily and live performance from the stage of La Scala to create a uniquely ambitious and visually stunning cinematic realization of this most passionate of verismo tragedies.

Soloists: 

Plácido Domingo (Tenor), Elena Obraztsova (Mezzo-Soprano), Fedora Barbieri (Mezzo-Soprano), Renato Bruson (Baritone), Axelle Gall (Mezzo-Soprano)

Ensembles: 

Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano

Conductor: 

Georges Prêtre