La rondine

Set in Paris and on the Riviera, La rondine contrasts two bitter-sweet tales of love.

Magda is the mistress of a rich banker, but she falls for the young, ardent Ruggero. Believing that she can, at last, live her dream of true love, Magda runs away with Ruggero to the South. Meanwhile, her maid Lisette takes up with the poet Prunier, who tries to put her on the stage. Can their relationship survive this disaster? And will Magda’s past stand between her and happiness?

James Hurley’s new production of this captivatingly beautiful opera transports us from the popular nightspots of 1930s Paris to the sun-drenched Mediterranean. Puccini’s music is as lush and tuneful as anything in La bohème, Tosca or Madama Butterfly, with the much-loved ‘Che il bel sogno di Doretta’ among the highlights.