Factoids

It’s likely you already know something about The Daughter of the Regiment—even if you’ve never seen it.

Luciano Pavarotti rose to prominence singing the famously difficult role of Tonio. At a 1972 performance at the Met, he hit the nine consecutive high C’s in the aria, “Ah, Mes Amis,” earning 17 curtain calls and the moniker “King of the High C’s.”

If you notice similarities between the Disney princess, Mulan, and Marie, you’re not alone.

The opera is Donizetti’s unabashed love letter to France. The country reciprocated the love. For years, The Daughter of the Regiment was performed every year on Bastille Day.

When Beverly Sills played Marie—on stage and in a 1974 TV special—she referred to the comic role as “Lucille Ball with high notes.”

Opera buff and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made a cameo appearance as Duchess of Krakenthorp in The Daughter of the Regiment with the Washington National Opera in 2016.