Organization

Conductor

Marco Armiliato

Set designer

Etienne Pluss

Stage director

Christof Loy

Costume designer

Barbara Drosihn

Lighting designer

Fabrice Kebour

Chorus master

Ernst Raffelsberger

Choreographer

Thomas Wilhelm

Dramaturge

Kathrin Brunner

Singer

Soprano

Ermonela Jaho

Magda

Sandra Hamaoui

Lisette

Tenor

Benjamin Bernheim

Ruggero

Juan Francisco Gatell

Prunier

Baritone

Vladimir Stoyanov

Rambaldo

Bass-baritone

Andrew Moore

Perichaud

Nathan Haller

Gobin

Stanislav Vorobyov

Crébillon

Yuliia Zasimova

Yvette

Meeta Raval

Bianca

Mezzo-soprano

Siena Licht Miller

Suzy

Bass

Valery Murga

A butler

Roberto Tallarigo

Dancers

Pietro Cono Genova

Sina Friedli

Valerio Porleri

Elena Paltracca

Annabelle Kern

A singer

Lolette

Yannick Bosc

Der Kellner

Georgette

Gabriella

Adolfo

Opernhaus Zürich

Amin Ahangaran

Rabonnier

Others

Chor der Oper Zürich

Orchestra

Philharmonia Zürich

Italian

La rondine -  (The Swallow)

Zurich

Switzerland

Opernhaus

La rondine Puccini

Public

The Swallow

German

English

Approved

An operetta? Never!», proclaimed Giacomo Puccini. He wanted to write – at most – a comic opera like Rosenkavalier, «but more entertaining and more organic». With La rondine (The swallow), commissioned by the Viennese Carl Theater and written during the First World War, Puccini created a new type of opera that mixed classical opera and operetta. It was precisely this unique blend that vexed critics at its world premiere, which took place in Monte Carlo in 1917, under war’s dark cloud. For some, it was too heavy to be an operetta. For others, it was too light to be an opera. Puccini, who reworked the piece’s conclusion multiple times, still considered his «problem child» to be a success. Alongside his operas Le villi and Edgar, La rondine is seldom seen today in theaters – and unjustly so. The Opernhaus Zürich presents the opera in its Swiss premiere.
The poet Prunier prophesies that Magda de Civry, who makes her home in the Parisian abode of her wealthy patron Rambaldo, will have a life like that of a swallow, flying towards the sea. And Magda seizes the opportunity to flee her golden cage when she meets Ruggero, a young man from the provinces. But Magda’s desire to once again experience love’s first rapture cannot be realized...
Puccini’s score reveals a soaring tonality and instrumentation as if it were written with a silver pen, in the style of Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. Unnatural, alienating versions of the waltz and the foxtrot create a constant what-if, a sense of the unreal – a work made for director Christof Loy, whose subtle directing style has repeatedly won over Zurich audiences. This new production boasts of a world-class cast, with Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho as Magda and tenor Benjamin Bernheim, who got his start in Zurich and is now an international star, as Ruggero. Marco Armiliato, a proven connoisseur of Puccini’s demanding, filigreed score, leads the Philharmonia Zürich.

An operetta? Never!” said Giacomo Puccini. At most he wants to write a comic opera like Der Rosenkavalier , “only more entertaining and organic”. With La rondine (The Swallow), a work commissioned by the Vienna Carl Theater, a new type of opera in the parlando tone was created in the middle of the First World War, as a fusion of classical opera and operetta. But it was precisely this unique mixture that irritated the critics of the premiere, which took place in Monte Carlo in 1917 due to the chaos of war: for some it was too heavy-blooded for an operetta, for others it was too light for an opera. Puccini, who reworked the ending of the work several times, still considered his beloved “problem child” to be a gem. In addition to Puccini's operas Le villi andEdgar , La Rondine is rarely on the schedule to this day - and wrongly so. The Zurich Opera House is now showing the opera as a Swiss premiere.
The poet Prunier prophesies that Magda de Civry will live like a swallow flying towards the sea in the Paris house of her wealthy patron Rambaldo. In fact, Magda seizes the opportunity to escape her gilded cage when she meets Ruggero, a young man from the provinces. But Magda's longing to experience the exhilaration of a first love again cannot be repeated...
Puccini's score reveals floating tonality and an instrumentation that seems to have been drawn with a silverpoint, based on Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. Alienated dance forms of waltz and foxtrot create a constant as if, a character of the unreal - a work tailor-made for the director Christof Loy, whose subtle staging style convinced the Zurich audience several times. The new production presents a cast at the highest level with the Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho as Magda and the tenor Benjamin Bernheim, who has since become a global star after starting out in Zurich, as Ruggero. At the Philharmonia Zurich's podium is Marco Armiliato, a proven connoisseur of this delicate Puccini score with symphonic demands.

Deutsch

The Swallow by Puccini, From (2023/2023), Directed by Christof Loy,, Conductor Marco Armiliato, Opernhaus, Zurich, Switzerland

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues