Buoyed by exceptional success, Donizetti presented his first opera written in French in 1840: La Fille du régiment. At the time, King Louis-Philippe had just reopened the doors of Versailles, turning it into a museum dedicated to “all the glories of France.” Napoleon was more celebrated there than Louis XIV, and France was preparing to fervently welcome the return of the Emperor’s ashes. Patriotism was at a peak, and La Fille du régiment perfectly captured the spirit of the time.
To bring to life the unlikely love story between the vivandière Marie—adopted daughter of the regiment—and the brave Tonio, who saves her and joins Napoleon’s army, Donizetti dives in with gusto: patriotic arias and choruses, a flurry of bel canto, and Tonio’s famous aria, the “Everest of Lyric Art” with its nine high Cs!
The opera reached its 1,000th performance in Paris in 1914. During the December 1940 performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Lily Pons, following a dazzling Salut à la France, sang La Marseillaise, which became a symbol of freedom in the midst of war. The virtuoso soloists Gwendoline Blondeel and Patrick Kabongo, accompanied by the Choir of the French Army, will transport the audience of the Royal Opera House straight to the beating heart of the homeland!