Chelsea Opera Group present two one act operas by Mascagni
Silvano & Cavalleria rusticana
A concert performance in Italian with English subtitles
Sunday 15 March 2026, 5.30pm, Cadogan Hall
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Love, jealousy, and death, all in a tight, pacy framework: Mascagni’s one-act works are a thrilling distillation of everything we love about opera.
With his attention to the lives of ordinary people, Mascagni provided the foundations for verismo, a movement that would define many Italian operas over the subsequent two decades.
Cavalleria rusticana may have swept the world before it after winning a competition for one-act operas in 1890, but Mascagni did not immediately leave the format behind after he had made his name. It is considered the first verismo opera, a move away from the traditional operatic focus on royalty, mythology and other ‘noble’ subjects.
This evening offers a rare opportunity to hear it alongside the follow-up piece, Silvano (1895), which took the same themes from the countryside to the coast, with atmospheric musical invocations of the sea and the moonlight.
Matthew Kofi Waldren makes a welcome return to the podium following his critically acclaimed debut with the ensemble for I due Foscari in 2024.
A pre-performance talk for ticket holders will be given by Professor Alexandra Wilson at 4.15pm.
Casts:
Silvano
Silvano: – José de Eça
Matilde – Seljan Fermor-Hesketh
Renzo – Morgan Pearse
Rosa: – Sarah Pring
Cavalleria rusticana
Turiddu – Andres Presno
Santuzza – Seljan Fermor-Hesketh
Alfio – Morgan Pearse
Mamma Lucia – Sarah Pring
Lola – Rebecca Afonwy-Jones
About Chelsea Opera Group: We are a well-established group specialising in high-quality concert opera. Our chorus and orchestra are amateurs, working with professional soloists and conductors. Since our foundation in 1950 we have revived many unjustly neglected works that are now in the repertoires of the major opera houses; and we have given some of today’s top performers early chances to develop their talents. We receive no public subsidy, relying on box office income and donations from our loyal supporters.
Opera today is under threat. We look forward to playing our part in ensuring that it survives and flourishes in the years ahead.