Portal:Opera/Selected picture/103
Credit: Unknown, sometimes attributed to Rauzzini; restored by Adam Cuerden
A scene from Mascagni's opera Cavalleria rusticana in which Alfio challenges Turiddu to a duel after learning that he has seduced his wife. Following Sicilian custom, the two men embrace, and Turiddu, in a token of acceptance, bites Alfio's ear, drawing blood which signifies a fight to the death. Cavalleria rusticana, which premiered in 1890, was Mascagni's first and most popular opera. There have been over 100 full-length recordings of the work since it was first recorded in Germany in 1909.