“They are artists and technicians at the same time, and that is not easy,’’ Trespidi said.
Friday’s season-opening premiere was a double-bill of Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria rusticana” and Ruggiero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci,” a production planned for the 2020 season that was never staged due to restrictions that limited performances to concerts.
Instead, a Sicilian village was created on 400 square meters of LED screens, with projections of a hillside, a church façade and craggy buildings, all with three-dimensional depth.
“They found this wonderful solution that works very well,” said tenor Yusif Eyvazof, who is singing the role of Canio/Pagliaccio.
Ongoing virus restrictions mean that the Arena, for now, can seat a maximum of 6,000 guests, instead of the pre-pandemic 13,500.