L'Aiglon

In a sun‑lit drawing‑room at the Viennese villa of Maria Louisa, the early autumn light filters through tall windows onto richly painted walls and a profusion of fresh flowers. Elegant ladies fill the space, laughter spilling over a lively piano duet while a harp adds delicate counterpoint. Their carefree chatter is interrupted when a modest young girl arrives with an Austrian cavalry officer, drawing the quiet attention of the assembled aristocracy.

Among the polished guests, the charismatic Count de Bombelles greets the newcomer with a smile, hinting at hidden connections and lingering loyalties. The atmosphere, though festive, is tinged with the undercurrents of political intrigue that surround the exiled son of Napoleon, the Duke of Reichstadt, whose presence looms over the gathering. Listeners are invited into a world of opulent court life where personal ambitions and the echo of a fallen empire begin to stir, setting the stage for the drama that will unfold.