Synopsis Pagliacci

1 synopsis

1.1 prologue
1.2 act 1
1.3 act 2

synopsis

place: calabria, near montalto, on feast of assumption
time: between 1865 , 1870.

prologue

during overture, curtain rises. behind second curtain, tonio, dressed commedia character taddeo, addresses audience (si può?... si può?... signore! signori! ... un nido di memorie). reminds audience actors have feelings too, , show real people.

act 1

at 3 o clock in afternoon, commedia troupe enters village cheering of villagers. canio describes night s performance: troubles of pagliaccio. says play begin @ ventitré ore , agricultural method of time-keeping means play begin hour before sunset. nedda steps down cart, tonio offers hand, canio pushes him aside , helps down himself. villagers suggest drinking @ tavern. canio , beppe accept, tonio stays behind. villagers tease canio tonio planning affair nedda. canio warns while may act foolish husband in play, in real life not tolerate other men making advances nedda. shocked, villager asks if canio suspects her. says no, , sweetly kisses on forehead. church bells ring vespers, , beppe leave tavern, leaving nedda alone.

nedda frightened canio s vehemence (qual fiamma avea nel guardo), birdsong comforts (stridono lassù). tonio returns , confesses love her, laughs. enraged, tonio grabs nedda, takes whip, strikes him , drives him off. silvio, nedda s lover, comes tavern, has left canio , beppe drinking. asks nedda elope him after performance and, though afraid, agrees. tonio, has been eavesdropping, leaves inform canio might catch silvio , nedda together. canio , tonio return and, silvio escapes, nedda calls after him, yours!

enrico caruso canio in pagliacci, 1 of signature roles

canio chases silvio, not catch him , not see face. demands nedda tell him name of lover, refuses. threatens knife, beppe disarms him. beppe insists prepare performance. tonio tells canio lover give himself away @ play. canio left alone put on costume , prepares laugh (vesti la giubba – put on costume ).

act 2

as crowd arrives, nedda, costumed colombina, collects money. whispers warning silvio, , crowd cheers play begins.

colombina s husband pagliaccio has gone away until morning, , taddeo @ market. anxiously awaits lover arlecchino, comes serenade beneath window. taddeo returns , confesses love, mocks him. lets arlecchino in through window. boxes taddeo s ears , kicks him out of room, , audience laughs.

arlecchino , colombina dine, , gives sleeping potion use later. when pagliaccio returns, colombina drug him , elope arlecchino. taddeo bursts in, warning pagliaccio suspicious of wife , return. arlecchino escapes through window, colombina tells him, yours!

as canio enters, hears nedda , exclaims name of god! same words! tries continue play, loses control , demands know lover s name. nedda, hoping keep performance, calls canio stage name pagliaccio, remind him of audience s presence. answers arietta: no! pagliaccio non son! sings if face pale, not stage makeup shame has brought him. crowd, impressed emotional performance, not realize real, cheers him.

nedda, trying continue play, admits has been visited innocent arlecchino. canio, furious , forgetting play, demands name of lover. nedda swears never tell him, , becomes apparent not acting. beppe asks tonio intervene, tonio refrains , prevents beppe halting action. silvio begins fight way toward stage. canio, grabbing knife table, stabs nedda. dies, calls: help! silvio! . silvio attacks canio, canio kills silvio also. horrified audience hears celebrated final line:

la commedia è finita! – comedy finished!

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