La Rondine

The second show of the year was La Rondine ("The Swallow") which was E's last hurrah during a long and adventurous vacation.

I knew nothing about this show prior to this season.  It was composed by Giacomo Puccini, and as a rule I enjoy his work. I like the setting: mid-19th century Paris.  It seems like it would have been such a wonderful time to be in France.  I liked the voices; both the male and female leads were spot on.

However, two acts would have been sufficient.  Here's a quick synopsis:
Act 1: everyone rattles on and on about how they don't believe in love.
Act 2: everyone falls in love.
Act 3: everything falls apart.

Now, I get that this is an opera, and so by definition it either has to be ridiculous (see yesterday's post on The Barber of Seville) or tragic.  But why is it the case that they must be one or the other?  If the answer is "so the performers have an opportunity to show off their vocal ranges and emotion," I get why that's desirable, but do we have to do that in every show?  I was feeling pretty good about things at the end of the second act.  The third act brought it all crashing down.  Boo.