Donizetti: The Daughter of the Regiment

Donizetti’s patriotic French opera returns in 2025, with Gwendoline Blondeel and Patrick Kabongo at the Royal Opera House.

In 1840, Donizetti premiered La Fille du régiment, his first opera composed in French, at a time when patriotic fervour swept through France. King Louis-Philippe had recently transformed Versailles into a museum celebrating national glory, with Napoleon’s image shining brighter than Louis XIV’s. As the country prepared to receive the Emperor’s ashes, La Fille du régiment captured the spirit of a proud and unified nation.

Set against this backdrop, Donizetti tells the story of Marie, a vivandière raised by soldiers, and Tonio, who joins Napoleon’s army for love. The opera combines rousing military choruses, lyrical bel canto, and the legendary aria Ah! mes amis, known for its nine high Cs, often described as the Everest of tenor roles.

Celebrated throughout history, the opera reached its 1,000th Paris performance in 1914. In 1940, Lily Pons famously sang La Marseillaise after Salut à la France at the Met, turning the aria into a wartime anthem of freedom.

In this 2025 production, virtuoso soloists Gwendoline Blondeel and Patrick Kabongo take centre stage, joined by the Choir of the French Army. Together, they revive this spirited tribute to courage and love in a performance recorded at the Royal Opera House.

English title Donizetti: The Daughter of the Regiment
Original title Donizetti: La Fille du Régiment
Genre Live Show
Recording location Royal Opera of Versailles, Versailles
Production year 2025
Duration 2:10:10
Video format 4K
Distribution TV Auditorium Films
Musical style Opera
Composer Donizetti
Stage Director Jean-Romain Vesperini
Costumes Christian Lacroix
Sets Roland Fontaine