Cherry picking
, Mascagni’s first performed opera, had premiered the previous year to astonishing success, and had instantly catapulted him to the top sphere of the musical world. Virtually overnight he had become a true international celebrity. Women swooned over his youth and good looks. Hordes of young men rushed to the barber to have the so-called “capelli alla Mascagni”, a sort of pompadour. , a sentimental novel by Emile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian, two French authors who specialized in stories taking place in their native Lorraine and nearby Alsace, and who found a vast readership among the French middle classes. It took five people, including the composer himself, to fashion a libretto Verdi did not hesitate to define “scemo”, a rather strong word meaning dumb, stupid. But that’s exactly what Mascagni was looking for: a silly plot unable to overshadow his music.
The story takes place in the Alsatian countryside in the mid 19 century. The protagonist is a wealthy landowner, Fritz Kobus, who is presented as a confirmed bachelor and misogynist at the beginning of the opera. During the course of three acts, thanks in part to the machinations of a matchmaker rabbi, he falls in love with Suzel, the teenaged daughter of his country estate manager; obviously, the girl secretly already loves him, and a happy end is assured.
The homey atmosphere, the bucolic nature of the story and the insubstantial plot contribute to temper Cavalleria . The Preludietto to the first act, peppered with irksome parallel thirds and sixths, is already indicative of the diffused tonal ambiguity, and bold rhythmical and metrical fluctuation that permeates the whole score. Another example: Suzel’s ballade “Bel cavalier” is a mere two minutes of music where seven changes of keys are found in 57 measures, and the result is an undeniably unsettling feeling.
Immediately after the Cherry Duet, the music illustrating the arrival of the rabbi and Fritz’s friends...