La Fille du Régiment

Rub-a-dub! There’s no other regiment like it: the 21st of Napoleon’s army, camped out in the Tirol as an occupying, paternalist, national force, the protector of Marie, the fille du régiment. Donizetti’s most popular opera is an ironic, sentimental comedy and sharp social critique that combines various elements of the drama of the time:  heartache between the protagonists, a respect for duty and paternal obedience, conflict between a decadent aristocracy and an emerging bourgeoisie that imposes itself on the ancien régime... The national exaltation in which France was immersed in 1840, when it premièred, explains the composer’s amicable and jovial portrait of the French army of occupation and the inclusion of some patriotic acts. With his ability to create flexible forms of music, play with fashions and at the same time parody the conservative aesthetics, this piece, which stage director Laurent Pelly considers “hilarious and poignant, light and serious at the same time”, offers intelligent humour and unforgettable musical displays.

Coproduction Metropolitan Opera House New York, Royal Opera House Covent Garden. London and Wiener Staatsoper