a bel canto masterpiece

Bellini's final work, a rousing bel canto set during the tumult of the English Civil War concerns a secret love that goes against the social and political divide that drives one of the lovers to the very edge of madness. Returning for the 2025/26 season in this production from director Charles Edwards, who presents the first new staging from the Met in nearly half a century! It stars Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee as the lovers caught between their religions and a bitter war.

What Is The Story Of I Puritani?

I Puritani takes place during the mid-17th century English Civil War, a conflict that resulted in a country divided between supporters of the Crown (the Royalists) and the Parliamentarians (the Puritans). A young, emotionally unstable Puritan woman, falls for a Royalist cavalier. Precipitated by what she believes to be her fiance's unfaithfulness and subsequent abandonment, the frail Elvira slips in and out of reality consumed by madness. In time, Arturo returns and gives the honorable reason for his absence - he was really saving the exiled Queen. Realizing that he still loves her, Elvira snaps back to sanity but Arturo is still under threat as a Royalist... that is until a general amnesty permits a happy ending!