A newly staged opera that overlays 19th-century Italian opera with the streets of modern-day Japan, where poverty is on the rise. Singers portraying the impoverished people of Italy are paired with dancers, who represent someone from contemporary Japan. Together, they embody one character, bringing the world of Italian opera and the shadowy side of present-day Japan onto the stage simultaneously.

Conductor: Asher Fisch
Director/Kansai dialect subtitles: Kumiko Ueda
Venue 1: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Concert Hall (Feb 3 and Feb 5, 2023)
Venue 2: Aichi Prefectural Arts Theatre Grand Hall (Mar 3 and Mar 5, 2023)

These two operas were born in Italy, where capitalism had accelerated, and the gap between the rich and the poor had widened excessively. At the time, naturalism was on the rise, and Verismo (naturalistic) opera, which depicted the harsh realities of nameless, impoverished peasants, shocked audiences. But how can we deliver that shock of reality to modern Japanese audiences? The situation in contemporary Japan, where the gap between the rich and poor is widening, mirrors that of Italy at the time.
My common theme for these two Verismo works is the harsh reality of poverty and loneliness.
In Cavalleria Rusticana, men and women living in rural Japan fall into domestic violence, become involved in the trafficking of methamphetamines, and, reliant on romantic relationships, are driven to murder by the suffocating human connections within their small communities.
The dancers, portraying modern Japanese people, serve as counterparts to the singers, representing their characters. This two-person, singer-dancer style, in which two people portray a single role, is inspired by Bunraku (traditional Japanese puppet theater).
Pagliacci tells the story of a traveling troupe. This story incorporates the concept of “meta-opera.” The murder committed in the final scene is performed by the singer. As the story progresses, emotions are heightened, and the singers break the rules, shattering their harmony with the dancers, and committing the murder in a world that seamlessly continues from the stage to the audience.
This opera continues into reality. Homeless people wander the stage, and when the audience leaves the theater, they are begged for alms.

Singers (Cavalleria Rusticana): Antonello Palombi, Teresa Romano, Yayoi Toriki, Daisuke Sannohe, Kyoko Moriyama
Singers (Pagliacci): Antonello Palombi, Sakiko Shibata, Yuma Shimizu, Ryoichi Nakai, Yosuke Takahashi
Dancers (Cavalleria Rusticana): Masahiro Yanagimoto, Ruri Mitou, Nobuko Takahara, Aichiro Miyakawa, Kei Takei
Dancers (Pagliacci): Satoshi Mitsui, Hana Ranno, Kazumasa Koura, Tomonori Muraoka, Jiro Morikawa
Dancers (both works): Shigeki Yamada, Mikiko Kawamura
Orchestras: Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra / Chubu Philharmonic Orchestra
Chorus: The Opera Choir / Aichi Prefectural Arts Theatre Choir
Children’s Chorus: Setagaya Junior Choir / Nagoya Boys and Girls Choir

Choreography Supervision: Kiyomi Maeda (Cavalleria Rusticana), Masahiro Yanagimoto (Cavalleria Rusticana), Rino Masaki (Pagliacci)
Chorus Conductor: Hiroyuki Tsuji
Repetiteur: Keiko Iwabuchi
Stage Combat: Naoki Kurihara
Costume Design: Kyoko Fujitani (FAIFAI)
Costume Collaboration: Hanayagi Theatre Company
Art Supervision: Yasuhiro Ohashi
Art Design: Kumiko Ueda
Art Coordinator: Tomomi Nakamura
Lighting: Masayoshi Takada (Ryu)
Video Design: Shinpei Yamada
Sound Design: Koichi Ishimaru
Hair and Makeup: Julia
Stage Manager: Ken Sakai
Assistant Director: Kenji Kita
Assistant Choreographer: Kaoru Nakatani (Cavalleria Rusticana), Chikako Funayama (Cavalleria Rusticana), Jiro Morikawa (Pagliacci)
Production Manager: Hideya Seki

Official Websites:
https://www.geigeki.jp/performance/concert255/
https://www-stage.aac.pref.aichi.jp/event/detail/000728.html

Articles:
https://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S15557664.html
https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/682719