Ponchielli's most famous opera whisks the audience back to the magical, but at the same time, dangerous Venetian Republic of the 17th century.

The piece's protagonist is a street singer named Gioconda. In spite of her name, which means “the jovial one”, her life takes a tragic turn owing to the intrigues of a diabolically evil figure who is hopelessly in love with her.

Ponchielli and Boito employ nearly every available trope of grand opéra: the carnival masquerade, the love triangle, unexpected twists, poison, a blind woman denounced as a witch, stirring crowd scenes - and dance: the best-known part of the opera is the ballet interlude the Dance of the Hours.

This work in the style of French and Italian grand opera premiered in a production directed by András Almási-Tóth.

Place: Opera House Budapest

Address: 1061 Budapest, Andrássy út 22