The Daughter of the Regiment, quarantined
Due to Covid-19, Opera Orlando who had to cancel their production of La fille du régiment. This had to be an incredibly hard decision, we salute them with this quarantine of Donizetti’s comic opera.
Need to know
About the composer:
Donizetti (1797-1848) was one of the great Italian composers of the period known as Bel Canto. He along with Bellini and Rossini make up what historians consider the big three composers of this period. He was a workaholic and composed over 70 operas in both Italian and French, as well as 100 songs, several symphonies, oratorios, cantatas, and chamber music.
Donizetti had a great instinct for theater as well as the ability to create memorable melodies. This talent gave him the musical flexibility to write great dramas as well as great comedies. His greatest dramas include Anna Bolena, Lucrezia Borgia, and Lucia di Lammermoor, and on the comic side, La fille du régiment, L’elisir d’amore, and Don Pasquale.
Learn more about Donizetti in this San Francisco Classical Voice article.
About the opera:
When La fille du régiment premiered, multiple Donizetti operas were being played all around Paris. This saturation of Donizetti’s works probably didn’t sit well with composer Hector Berlioz (Symphonie fantastique) and critic who wrote a scathing review, "The score of La fille du régiment is not all one that either composer or public takes seriously. There is harmony, some melody, some rhythmic effects, some instrumental and vocal combinations; it is music, if one will, but not new music…” Despite the critique, the opera was presented over 40 times after its premiere and thanks to its lively military tunes, is regularly performed on Bastille Day in France.
La fille du régiment had great success in the years that followed its premiere. In the later half of the 19th century, it (along with many of the bel canto operas) was considered old fashioned - even while still performed. Bel canto operas regained popularity halfway through the 20th century, when singers like Maria Callas reintroduced Bellini to audiences. Legends Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills wowed audiences with the character Marie from La fille.
More fun facts
High C’s for Days
The opera’s most famous aria “Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête” has been called the Mount Everest of sings for tenors. The aria includes eight high C’s and often a ninth unwritten high C for the tenor to sing during the 6 minute aria.
"Ah! mes amis” launched Luciano Pavarotti into super stardom in his 1972 Met performance co-staring Joan Sutherland. Hear that performance here.
French with a dash of Zulu
South African Soprano, Pretty Yende, is blowing up the opera scenes today. Seriously, if you haven’t heard this name, look her up! In a recent production of The Daughter of the Regiment at the Met, her character ad-libs from French into Zulu during a monologue. Read more about this moment as well as this amazing singer in this New York Times article.
Listen to her sing “Il faut partir” in this same Met production.
Superstar Cameos
The Daughter of the Regiment includes a non-singing role, the Duchess of Krakenthorp, which is often played by a non-operatic celebrity. Stars to play the Duchess include actors Bea Arthur and Kathleen Turner, retired opera greats like Kiri Te Kanawa and Montserrat Caballé, and even opera fan Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice of the United States.
Check out the Notorious RBG in action at Washington National Opera.
À votre Santé au Régiment!
We raise a glass to the daughter of the regiment with our pre-opera cocktail “The Fourth Regiment.” If you’re a fan of a Manhattan, you’ll love this cocktail. See John mix it up here.
Ingredients: 1 oz Rye Whiskey, 1 oz Sweet Vermouth, 1 Dash Orange Bitters, 1 Dash Angostura Bitters, 1 Dash Celery Bitters, Lemon Peel for Garnish
Directions: Add all ingredients into a mixing vessel with ice and stir well. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a lemon peel. Enjoy!
Synopsis
Super condensed cliff notes:
Baby girl, Marie, is found on a battle field and is raised by soldiers as their daughter. She falls in love with a civilian, Tonio. He becomes a soldier so he can marry her, but before that happens, Marie’s aunt (Marquise of Berkenfeld) claims her as her lost niece. The Marquise takes Marie to her home to teach her to be a lady and arranges for her to marry the Duke of Krakenthorp. However, the Marquise, who is actually Marie’s mother, sees how in love Marie and Tonio are and has a change of heart, allowing the them to be married.
Cliff notes version from the Royal Opera House:
Marie was found on a battlefield as a baby, and raised by the entire 21st Regiment as their 'daughter'. Her foster-father Sulpice has decreed that she should marry a soldier from the Regiment. When Marie falls for the Tyrolean Tonio, it looks as though she may have to choose between her family and true love.
The situation becomes still more fraught when the haughty Marquise de Berkenfield arrives on the scene. She discovers that Marie is her niece, and insists on taking her away to bring her up as a lady. Tonio, who has joined the Regiment in order to marry Marie, is in despair. So is Marie, and matters get worse in her new home: she hates ladylike pursuits and is horrified to learn that she must make an aristocratic marriage. Can she get out of it without losing her aunt's affection? And will she ever see Tonio again? Yes, if the 21st Regiment has anything to do with it…
Full Synopsis:
Read the full synopsis from the Met Opera.
Streaming
Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez star in this 2008 production at the Met, click here for the Met on Demand.
Here is a free production from a 1996 production at La Scala.
More Listening!
“Chacun le sait” sung by soprano Joan Sutherland
“Il faut partir” sung by soprano Natalie Dessay
“Pour Une Femme De Mon Nom” sung by contralto Ewa Podleś
“Pour me rapprocher de Marie” sung by tenor Lawrence Brownlee
“Le jour naissait dans le bocage” trio from a 2016 Wiener Staatsoper production.
Did You Know?
La fille du regiment — The Daughter of the Regiment — was originally written in French, for a premiere at the Opera Comique in Paris in 1840. Not long after that, an Italian version appeared and the opera became even more popular. In London, in 1847, it was performed in English, and its brilliant coloratura made it a favorite with superstar soprano Jenny Lind, who sang it at the Metropolitan in New York.
The opening night was "a barely averted disaster." Apparently the lead tenor was frequently off pitch. Despite its bumpy start, the opera soon became hugely popular at the Opéra-Comique. During its first 80 years, it reached its 500th performance at the theatre in 1871 and its 1,000th in 1908.