'L'amico Fritz' by Pietro Mascagni

Opera Holland Park from June 2011 A new production of Mascagni’s ‘follow-up’ to Cavalleria Rusticana (an opera that cast him reluctantly as the king of verismo) in which we find the composer in a gentler and more inventive mood. Fritz is the archetypal landowner, urbane and cynical. He takes a bet with his friend David that he will never marry – but that was before he met Suzel! The opera’s ‘Cherry Duet’ has become an enduringly popular piece among the public and Fritz is a wonderful example of late Italian romantic opera from one of its most exciting exponents.