apart from the performance in rome, conducted by mascagni himself (and later in the first run by his pupil roberto moranzoni), "le maschere" received a dismal reception, with the performance in genoa suspended halfway through because of the audience's vociferous expressions of displeasure. the opera was sporadically performed in italy over the next four years and then sank into obscurity. when mascagni revised and represented the opera in 1931 it met with little lasting success. however, sporadic revivals in the late 20th century have been greeted with some critical interest.