La Rondine

Giacomo Puccini

La Rondine

This production ran: Mar 26 - Apr 20

This Production is in the past

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Overview

Puccini’s bittersweet love story makes a rare Met appearance, with soprano Angel Blue starring as the French courtesan Magda, opposite tenor Jonathan Tetelman in his highly anticipated company debut as Ruggero, an idealistic young man who offers her an alternative to her life of excess. Maestro Speranza Scappucci conducts Nicolas Joël’s glittering 1920s staging, which transports audiences from the heart of Parisian nightlife to a dreamy vision of the French Riviera. In their Met debuts, soprano Emily Pogorelc and tenor Bekhzod Davronov complete the sterling cast as Lisette and Prunier.

Please note that video cameras will be in operation during the April 16 and April 20 performances as part of the Met’s Live in HD series of cinema transmissions.

A co-production of Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse; and The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London


Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund

Revival a gift of Barbara Augusta Teichert

Languages

Languages sung in La Rondine

Sung In

Italian

Titles

Title languages displayed for La Rondine

Met Titles In

  • English
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Italian

Timeline

Timeline for the show, La Rondine

Estimated Run Time

2 hrs 35 mins

  • House Opens

  • Acts I and II

    75 mins

  • Intermission

    40 mins

  • Act III

    40 mins

  • Opera Ends

La Rondine

World premiere: Grand Théâtre, Monte Carlo, 1917
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.

Creators

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) was immensely popular in his own lifetime, and his works remain staples in the repertory of most of the world’s opera companies. Giuseppe Adami (1878–1946) provided Puccini with the libretto for La Rondine and would later work with him on Il Tabarro and Turandot. Viennese author, journalist, and composer Alfred Maria Willner (1859–1929) and his collaborator Heinz Reichert (1877–1940), who wrote operetta libretti for several of the most popular composers of the day, supplied the opera’s outline.

 

Production

Nicolas Joël

Set Designer

Ezio Frigerio

Costume Designer

Franca Squarciapino

Lighting Designer

Duane Schuler

Headshot of Giacomo Puccini

COMPOSER

Giacomo Puccini

Setting

La Rondine

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.

Videos

Music

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.”

La Rondine