Stanislao Gastaldon the music publisher Sonzogno announced a competition for one-act operas, Gastaldon decided to enter with "Mala Pasqua!", a setting of Giovanni Verga's popular short story (and later play), "Cavalleria rusticana". Another young composer, Pietro Mascagni, entered the same contest with his opera "Cavalleria rusticana", also based on Verga's story. Gastaldon withdrew his work early in the competition when he received an offer from Sonzogno's rival, Ricordi, to publish it and arrange a premiere at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. He expanded the opera to three acts, and "Mala Pasqua!" premiered on April 9, 1890 to modest success. Mascagni's opera eventually
Cavalleria Rusticana (1959 film) Donna." Alan Burke had directed "Prima Donna". Singer Marie Tysoe later recalled "That was also performed live. We had monitors strategically placed in the sets so that the singers could always see the conductor." The TV critic from the "Sydney Morning Herald" called it "no more than a partial success". He praised its "well planned and well designed sets" but thought it lacked movement and felt the singing "was often heavy and uncertain" and acting "either stagey or inhibited, and sometimes both.. It seems that the initial requirements for local televised opera is singers who can adapt their style to