Two stories of jealousy from two masters of comedy and tragedy.

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari/Ruggero Leoncavallo

Conductor - John Andrews/Francesco Cilluffo
Director - John Wilkie/Martin Lloyd-Evans

A double bill fuelled by sexual jealousy contrasts Wolf-Ferrari’s elegant honeymoon comedy with Leoncavallo’s shocking story of a double murder. When Gil detects the scent of a cigarette in his apartment, he assumes that his wife, Susanna, has taken a lover, but Susanna’s secret is not what it seems. When Canio the clown is told that his wife, Nedda, is unfaithful, he determines to wreak revenge on her and her lover, bringing a bloody end to their Harlequinade. Sophisticated and deadly, Pagliacci was purported to be based on true crime, while Il segreto di Susanna anticipates the screwball comedies of 1930s Hollywood, with music of delicious wit and charm.

Clare Presland, Richard Burkhard and John Savournin reunite for this first revival of John Wilkie’s stylish 2019 production of Il segreto di Susanna. Now the leading tenor of his generation, David Butt Philip returns to Opera Holland Park to make his role debut as Canio in Martin Lloyd-Evans’s new production of Pagliacci, conducted by Francesco Cilluffo. Alison Langer sings the role of Nedda, Canio’s unhappy wife, with Harry Thatcher as her lover, Silvio.

Performances will take place on 17/20/23/25/27/30 July & 1/3 August 2024.