California, 1850: Hundreds of thousands have fallen for the gold rush - and a few have also fallen for the barmaid Minnie, where scattered fortune seekers meet every evening. Among them is Sheriff Jack Rance. But Minnie falls in love with the stranger Dick Johnson. It soon turns out that Johnson is a wanted robber: the sheriff wants to get him and Minnie. A game of poker is supposed to decide Dick's life: Does Minnie still have an ace up her sleeve? In any case, Puccini had one thing with his “Fanciulla” and even considered the piece to be his best: after global successes like “La Bohème” and “Madama Butterfly,” he had reinvented himself with his “Spaghetti Western.” In “La Fanciulla del West” ragtime rhythms, hints of gospel and the music of the native Indians combine with Italian melodies to create a lushly orchestrated broadband sound. This did not fail to have an impact at the premiere in 1910 at the New York Metropolitan Opera. And yet the piece lived in the shadows for a long time next to Puccini's big hits - until the musical gold diggers set out... Production: Vincent Boussard Set design: Vincent Lemaire Costumes: Christian Lacroix Light: Guido Levi