Women in opera are forever dying of consumption or overwhelming emotions – and audiences could be forgiven for thinking their portrayals are a little outdated.
Some older operas have been cancelled as too offensive or adapted to seem less old-fashioned and misogynistic to modern opera goers.
But acclaimed Australian-born soprano Danielle de Niese is urging Christmas Day TV viewers to tune in to see her Glyndebourne production of The Merry Widow for a different take.
Instead of doom and gloom, and helpless tragic female characters, this Merry Widow is a laugh-out-loud operetta.
Danielle, who moved to Los Angeles aged 10, insists her character is a “modern woman, even though she was written more than 100 years ago”, and urges audiences not to dismiss her as the usual female stereotype.
The 45-year-old singer and dancer said: “The opera is like a rom-com. The libretto is a real page-turner. Hanna [the merry widow] realises she has complete independence and doesn’t need to partner up with anybody.
“She is a woman for all ages. She’s alluring, she’s very much in charge, very feminine. And she is not afraid to speak openly.”
But some operas have been cancelled or adapted because of offensive content. In 2016 critics claimed Puccini’s Turandot, which features aria Nessun Dorma, had “outdated gender roles, misogyny and problematic racial stereotypes”.
Danielle said: “We’ve made so many strides but there’s always more we can do.”
The Merry Widow was written by Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehar and was said to be one of Hitler’s favourite operas.
Danielle added: “The Merry Widow is the perfect thing to watch when you’ve had your Christmas lunch and want to just sit and be entertained.”
- The Merry Widow from Glyndebourne, BBC Four, Christmas Day, 8pm-10.30pm