Such was the international success of this double bill that both works were performed together at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne in September 1893 – Pagliacci less than sixteen months after its world première in Milan. Impresario George Musgrove even secured the original Canio, tenor Fiorello Giraud, who had been chosen for the part by Ruggero Leoncavallo himself. The two works (known for generations as Cav-and-Pag) have been presented many times since that illustrious Melbourne season and, with few exceptions, have been box-office hits. They are so compatible that on the rare occasions when one of the operas is paired with a different work I feel rather cheated.