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 16, 18 May 1923)," "Meyerbeer's "The Huguenots" (Royal Lyceum Theatre 15, 17, 19 May 1923); "Bohemian Girl", "Cavalleria Rusticana", "Trial by Jury" and "The Jolly Beggers" (Royal Lyceum, 1931); "Yeoman of the Guard, Jeannie Deans" (King’s Theatre 1934); "Orpheus" (Gateway Theatre 1958); "Faust" (Gateway Theatre 1959); "Semele" (Gateway Theatre 1960); "Der Freischutz" (Gateway Theatre 1961); "L'elisir d’amore" (Gateway Theatre 1962); "The Bartered Bride" (Gateway Theatre 1963); "Flying Dutchman" (Royal Lyceum Theatre 1979). 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