LA BOHÈME
The greatest tearjerker in opera history. Only the most hardened can resist when the poor bohemian artist Rodolfo realises that his beloved Mimi has succumbed to tuberculosis, and the death knell sounds in Puccini’s poignant finale.
SISTER ANGELICA
For seven years, Angelica has dreamed of her son, who was taken from her at birth. When she learns of his death, she takes poison to meet the boy in Paradise. Too late, she remembers that suicides do not go to heaven – but higher powers make an exception, and the little boy storms onto the stage, where they are reunited in a wildly emotional Puccini tearjerker.
MADAME BUTTERFLY
After his wedding night with the young, exotic geisha, the American naval officer leaves it all behind. Three years later, he reappears with his new wife to collect his son. Madame Butterfly blindfolds the boy and commits harakiri, while the audience weeps uncontrollably.
KATJA KABANOVA
In Janáček’s tear-jerking tragedy, we suffer with Katja Kabanova, who is trapped in a loveless marriage with an incompetent drunkard and a mother-in-law from hell. After an unresolved extramarital affair, she drowns herself in the Volga out of shame and despair over her hopeless future.
LA TRAVIATA
Violetta is an admired Parisian courtesan who unexpectedly becomes involved in a passionate love affair with the young Alfredo, who comes from a respectable family. The relationship proves impossible in a hypocritical social context. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that Violetta is dying of tuberculosis. La Traviata offers a string of Verdi’s hit arias in a gripping plot.
