REVIEW: La Traviata

REVIEW: La Traviata

Standing ovations are rarely offered at the Joan Sutherland Theatre. While they may be common place in American opera houses, public displays of en masse affection are few and far between here in Sydney.  On Friday, February 3, an exception was made as a sell-out crowd of more than 1,500 people stood to their feet in thunderous applause for the Albanian born soprano Ermonela Jaho.

Often compared to Maria Callas, Jaho performed the lead role of Violetta in Verdi’s popular opera, La Traviata to perfection.  Last year she was named the world’s most acclaimed soprano by the Economist.  Violetta is Jaho’s signature role. As a young girl, she decided to become an opera singer when she saw the role performed in her native Albania.

Literally translated into English as “the Fallen One” La Traviata tells the story of a high class call girl with tuberculosis who falls in love with a high society gentleman named Alfredo (Korean born tenor Ho-Yoon Chung).  In a bastardly act Alfredo’s father Giorgio Germont (Australian José Carbó) intervenes and begs Violetta to abandon her relationship with his son. Spoiler alert: Violetta dies tragically in the final scene.

While it was her first time performing in Sydney, over the last twenty years Jaho has played Violetta more than 240 times. The evening also marked Opera Australia’s 200th performance of La Traviata.

As if a painting by Pierre-August Renoir had exploded into real life, Elijah Moshinsky’s sublime production, Michael Yeargan’s suburb sets and Peter J Hall’s glamorous costumes all perfectly capture the decadence of Paris in the late 19th century.

Until Apr 1. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. $45-338+b.f. Tickets & Info: sydneyoperahouse.com

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