Mascagni: L'amico Fritz

Italian composer Mascagni’s reputation rests on just one work, his one-act verismo classic Cavalleria Rusticana. It’s frequently performed as a double bill with Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (hence the popular epithet “Cav and Pag”). As a result, the remainder of Mascagni’s output, which includes no fewer than 14 operas, has been unjustly overlooked. That said, neither Iris nor L’amico Fritz has entirely disappeared from view, the latter (first staged at Rome’s Teatro Costanzi in October 1891) especially fine. On this 1969 recording with conductor Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni make a compelling dramatic duo. Act II’s “Cherry Duet” between Fritz and Suzel is full of the requisite passion, while the orchestral intermezzo preceding Act III is a powerful display of Italian emotion.