Met Opera releases ‘Cav/Pag’ DVD starring Placido Domingo

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Opera buffs in L.A. won’t get to see Plácido Domingo perform on stage until late November, when the Los Angeles Opera stages the company premiere of Handel’s ‘Tamerlano.’

Until then, local Domingo fans can sate their cravings with a new DVD of Mascagni’s ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ and Leoncavallo’s ‘Pagliacci’ (often abbreviated ‘Cav/Pag’), which will be released Sunday, Aug. 16. The Franco Zeffirelli productions were filmed live in 1978 at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where they were conducted by James Levine.

The double bill marked the first time that Domingo had performed the roles of Turiddu in ‘Cavalleria’ and Canio in ‘Pagliacci’ on the same night at the Met. The performance, which was broadcast on television, has never before been released on DVD.

The Met says it has restored the footage of the production using the only single live performance tape, since no backups were made at the time.

Starring alongside Domingo are Tatiana Troyanos and Vern Shinall in ‘Cavalleria’ and Teresa Stratas and Sherrill Milnes in ‘Pagliacci.’

The DVD will be available for purchase on the Met’s website and other outlets.

Domingo, who serves as the general manager for L.A. Opera, will make a conducting appearance Aug. 25 at the Hollywood Bowl, where he will lead the L.A. Philharmonic and Yo-Yo Ma in a performance of Dvorák’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.

-- David Ng

Credit: Metropolitan Opera