Metropolitan Opera - La Fille du Regiment

A War-Time Opera Brimming With National Pride

Gaetano Donizetti's enduring La Fille du Regiment first premiered at Paris' Opera-Comique in 1840 to rapturous acclaim. Combining humour, emotion and patriotism, the production quickly became a national treasure, often revived on Bastille Day. Packed to the rafters with energy, electricity and jaw-dropping vocal acrobatics which include the devilishly difficult high C's of Act I's Ah, Mes Amis vocal line, this is one high-octane opera you won't want to miss.

Transported to the trenches of WWII, Donizetti's gung-ho military marches, frothy comic numbers and shimmering arias punctuate the story of heroine Marie, played by South African soprano Pretty Yende. Orphaned at a young age and raised by tan army regiment, the feisty Marie has become their mascot, raising morale and spreading cheer. Yet things get complicated when her true identity is discovered and the first stirrings of love flutter in her heart thanks to the handsome soldier Tonio, played by Mexican tenor Javier Camarena.