La Rondine

by Giacomo Puccini

Opera Screening

An NCPA-The Metropolitan Opera (New York) Presentation

Initially conceived as an operetta before receiving the full operatic treatment, this bittersweet love story is the least-known work of the mature Giacomo Puccini, largely due to the circumstances of its premiere: Italy and Austria became enemies during World War I, precluding a Vienna premiere, and the opera quietly opened in neutral Monte Carlo, never finding a permanent place in the repertoire. That loss is scandalous, since La Rondine, judged on its own merits rather than compared to other operas with similar themes, is a fascinating work—featuring an abundance of exuberant waltzes, a lightness of tone (particularly in the intoxicating first two acts) and a romantic vision of Paris and the south of France. Puccini was immensely popular in his lifetime, and his works remain staples in the repertory of most of the world’s opera companies. Each of the three acts of La Rondine evokes a different aspect of French life, as well as a different take on the nature of love. Act I is set in Magda’s elegant salon; Act II is set in the raucous Bal Bullier, a famous Latin Quarter dance hall; and Act III is set outside Nice on the French Riviera. The Met’s current, art deco­­–inspired production places the action in the 1920s. The score of La Rondine is sophisticated and economical—and entirely engrossing. It flows with the sort of melody that could only come from Puccini, including the dreamy dance sequences in Act II and the ensemble in the same scene, ‘Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso’ as well as the opera’s most famous aria, Act I’s ‘Chi il bel sogno di Doretta’.

Conductor: Sperenza Scappucci
Cast: Angel Blue, Emily Pogorelk, Jonathan Telelman & Bekhzod Davronov

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