La Rondine

In the broad sweep of history, writers, musicians, artists have regarded "romantic love" as dangerous, whether a disease, a social disorder, a personal obsession; passion breaks the rules and disrupts the status quo. So here, in this minor Puccini opera that I liked a lot this morning, a courtesan falling in love with "a nice guy" and eventually giving him up in order to protect him. One of the best analyses of "romantic love" is by the Swiss theologian Denis de Rougemont, a book that influenced me as a young man, Love In The Western World. I should reread it soon.