Strong women

A woman in men’s clothing on the battlefield, burnt at the stake as a heretic and praised as a patron saint: the historical Joan of Arc is a character of many facettes, whose strength and determination has inspired numerous opera composers.

Who is afraid of the devil? Katja certainly is not! Dvořák’s humorous opera heroine not only offers great entertainment value when she gives the devil a run for his money; she is also a modern, self-determined woman who goes her own way.

In a world full of violence and cruelty, Katerina Izmailova suffers from her unfulfilled desires and needs. In her attempt to break out of her circumstances, she becomes a murderer. To this day, Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth is a fascinating and polarising protagonist for whom, despite her crimes, one can feel sympathy.

Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio - also called Leonore in its first two versions - is the assumed name of a woman, Leonore, who disguises herself as a man to free her husband Florestan, a political prisoner who has been arbitrarily detained. 

As its title suggests, the opera The Bartered Bride by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana does not herald a particularly pleasant story for our protagonist. And yet Mařenka comes first in our ranking of strong female opera figures.

If the origin of the character is certainly much more misogynist than feminist - the myth of the cold, cruel and castrating woman akin to the ‘witches’ persecuted en masse during the Renaissance -, Turandot is no shrinking violet but a resolutely independent and powerful character.

Manon’s unique path in life could not be more alien to the strict social expectations placed on the women of her time. Already at the age of sixteen, she breaks free from the sheltered life mapped out for her and flees on her way to the convent with the handsome Chevalier Des Grieux. Despite her genuine love for him, she ends up leaving him for a life of wealth and luxury only to rekindle her relationship with him later.