Pagliacci Italian premiere, and it was given in New York on 15 June 1893, with Agostino Montegriffo as Canio. Around 1890, when Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana" premiered, Leoncavallo was a little-known composer. After seeing Mascagni's success, he decided to write an opera in response: one act composed in the verismo style. Leoncavallo wrote that he based the story of "Pagliacci" on an incident from his childhood: a murder in 1865, the victim of which was a Leoncavallo family servant, Gaetano Scavello. The murderer was Gaetano D'Alessandro, with his brother Luigi an accomplice to the crime. The incident resulted from a series
Edinburgh Opera Company Edinburgh Opera Company "Not to be confused with Edinburgh Grand Opera". Edinburgh Opera Company was an opera company which existed in Edinburgh during the 20th century from around 1919 until the 1970s. It performed in theatres such as The Gateway Theatre, the Royal Lyceum Theatre and the King's Theatre, Edinburgh. One of its soloists was Canadian tenor Emanual Christian Hedmont who also produced Edinburgh Opera Company’s shows in 1922 at the King’s Theatre and at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in 1923. Performances included "Cavalleria Rusticana", "Daughter of the Regiment", "Il trovatore" (King's Theatre 1922); Verdi's "Ernani "(Royal Lyceum Theatre 14,