L'amico Fritz L'amico Fritz L'amico Fritz () is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1891 from a libretto by P. Suardon (Nicola Daspuro) (with additions by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti), based on the French novel "L'ami Fritz" by Émile Erckmann and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian. While the opera enjoyed some success in its day and is probably Mascagni's most famous work after "Cavalleria rusticana", today it is performed far more rarely than "Cavalleria", which remains Mascagni's only enduringly popular work in America (though in Italy, "L'amico Fritz" and "Iris" are still in the active repertoire). The "Cherry Duet" between Fritz and Suzel
Cavalleria rusticana had married the carter Alfio while Turiddu was away. In revenge, Turiddu had seduced Santuzza, a young woman in the village. As the opera begins, Lola, overcome by her jealousy of Santuzza, has begun an adulterous affair with Turiddu. "The main square of the village" Offstage, Turiddu is heard singing a siciliana, "O Lola c'hai di latti la cammisa" ("O Lola! like the snow, pure in thy whiteness!"). To one side is the church; to the other is Lucia's wine shop and the house where she lives with her son, Turiddu. The villagers move about the square, singing of the