Opera :
Donizetti - La Fille du régiment

Opera
Conductor Ion Marin
Director Jean-Louis Grinda

Comic opera in two acts
Music by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Libretto integral from Jules Henry Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard
Premiere: Opéra-Comique, Paris, 11 february 1840

New production

Like Bellini and Rossini before him, Gaetano Donizetti turned his attention to Paris and its irresistible prestige once he had established his position in the Peninsula. It was there that he first premiered La Fille du régiment, a popular work at the time in spite of mixed reviews. Its adaptation for Italian theatres made certain changes that went beyond the translation of the text. Nurtured by the desire of light sopranos to shine in an entertaining role with spectacular vocal parts, this version of La figlia del regimento was very successful. Unfortunately, the role of Tonio was a victim of cuts in this edition and lost some of its lustre.

In the mid 1960s the original score, reinstating Tonio’s arias, was presented at Covent Garden in London. It was with these arias that the young Luciano Pavarotti won his place in the world of opera. Since then, La Fille has regained its foot-ing and today it demands not only a first-class soprano, but also an equally fine bel cantist as partner. Hence, the young Regula Mühlemann will share the stage with Javier Camarena. Will he delight Monaco audiences with a repeat of his famous aria and its 9 high Cs, as he has already done at major international venues? To find the answer, come and discover this new production staged by Jean-Louis Grinda!