This November, Ailyn Pérez brings her “passionate, ingratiating, enticing” (Klassik begeistert) Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci back to the Bayerische Staatsoper. Pérez makes a triumphant return to Francesco Micheli’s bold production, which premiered last season. Micheli’s staging links the traditional pairing of Cavalleria Rusticana with Pagliacci, connecting the characters of Turiddu and Canio and creating a through line between the two stories.
Pérez has earned rave reviews for her performances in Micheli’s production, with Opera Diary saying, “As charming as she was playful, Ailyn Pérez crafted a Nedda both sensitive and assured, far from clichés. Her voice, supple and luminous, blossomed effortlessly in the high register without losing clarity or precision. She sang with elegant simplicity, avoiding excess, which made her character all the more touching.”
Pérez joins a fantastic cast, singing under the baton of Antonino Fogliani, with Yonghoon Lee as Canio, Gabriele Viviani as Tonio, Andrés Agudelo as Beppe, and Thomas Mole as Silvio. Cavalleria Rusticana features Elīna Garanča as Santuzza, Vittorio Grigolo as Turiddu, and Rosalind Plowright as Mamma Lucia.