The humorous opera of Gaetano Donizetti La Fille du Régiment (The daughter of the regiment)  is a deft combination of jaunty military tunes, brisk comic numbers, enormously graceful ensembles and vocal solos, and sparkling arias. The setting: the Tyrolean mountains. Marie is found on a battlefield as a baby, and raised by the entire 21st Regiment as their 'daughter'. Her foster-father Sulpice decrees that she should marry a soldier from the Regiment. When Marie falls for the Tyrolean Tonio, it looks as though she may have to choose between her family and true love. And so the plot thickens... La Fille du Regiment  quickly became a popular success partly because of the famous aria "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!", which requires of the tenor no fewer than eight high Cs .