On December 7, 2018, the 155^th birth anniversary Italian opera composer Pietro Mascagni is celebrated.

The representative of the Italian opera classics of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, one of the founders of Verismo movement in opera. Characteristic features of this direction for the first time were defined in the opera Cavalleria Rusticana that was for the first time staged in the Teatro Costanzi di Roma on May 17, 1890.

We are presenting the musical selection that is dedicated to the anniversary of Pietro Mascagni, includes recordings from gramophone records and paper music rolls. The first-mentioned include the final aria of Turiddu, a young villager recently returned from the army "Mamma, quel vino e generoso" from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana; Intermezzo, as well as a choral introduction from the opera Cavalleria rusticana. Paper music rolls are represented by piano fantasy performed by pianist Paul Gayraud and Intermezzo transcribed for piano performed by Georg Scherneck from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana.

The biography of Pietro Mascagni  is in the section “Authors”.