La Juive

First performed in Paris in 1835, Halévy's La Juive was very much in the public's favour for many decades. This is in no way surprising, because the composer, who was one of the most popular representatives of his art in his time, captivates his audience with music that is as opulent and elegant as it is emotionally charged, hitting the heart at the decisive moments.

At the same time, the audience experiences a plot that draws them into an intense emotional rollercoaster. We suffer with the protagonist Rachel, whose happiness in life is destroyed by hatred and prejudice. And we follow the fate of Rachel's father, the Jewish goldsmith Eléazar, who is shattered by a long-kept secret that is connected to Rachel's true origins. On the surface, Halévy and Scribe's opera presents itself as a mixture of Giuseppe Verdi's Il trovatore (The Troubadour) and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Nathan the Wise. But when you experience this opera on stage, you quickly learn that Halévy takes an independent position on the themes of anti-Semitism, revenge and forgiveness.