La Juive

As a baby, Rachel, born into a Christian family, is rescued from a fire by the Jew Eleazar. He raises the child as Jewish and does not tell her about her origins. When the girl falls in love with a so-called Jewish artist who turns out to be a Christian fighter, she finds herself in a pernicious vicious circle.

This opera was very successful in the first half of the 19th century, and became the model for what was later referred to as Grand Opera. However, La Juive disappeared from the stage under the prevailing Nazi ideology during the Second World War, and only started to make its comeback after 1950. And rightly so, as this relatively unknown opera remains a key work in the history of opera.