In the expectedly inventive directorial interpretation by Mario Kovač and under the baton of maestro Ivo Lipanović, Pagliacci brings to the stage themes typical of the period in which it was created: characters of flesh and blood from the lower social classes, whose sufferings are real and often bloody, confronting each other in a naturalistic manner. Drawing inspiration from the memory of a real crime, Leoncavallo placed the story of jealousy, infidelity, and murder among a traveling troupe of actors, creating a dramatic and emotional "theater within a theater" play. It is precisely the famous aria "Vesti la giubba," sung by the tragic Canio, that has made some of the greatest names in opera history famous.

Conductor: Ivo Lipanović  
Director: Mario Kovač