02/10/2019

The Royal Opera celebrates 25 years of Richard Eyre’s iconic production of La traviata

La traviata, Act I, © 2019 ROH. Photographed by Tristram Kenton.

Verdi’s eternally popular La traviata returns to the Royal Opera House in December 2019. This Season we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Richard Eyre’s magnificent production, which perfectly encapsulates the colour, glamour and splendour of 19th-century Paris against which the heroine’s tragedy unfolds.

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From lyrical arias to vibrant choruses, La traviata contains some of Verdi’s finest and best-known music. Based on Alexandre Dumas fils’s novel and play La Dame aux camélias, itself based on the life of Dumas’ own lover Marie Duplessis, La traviata tells the story of the courtesan Violetta and the passionate love she feels for Alfredo Germont – a love that leads her to make the ultimate sacrifice. Verdi’s most romantic opera has delighted audiences around the world for more than 150 years and Richard Eyre’s wonderful production has been a staple of The Royal Opera’s repertory since 1994. It is revived nearly every Season and is an unmissable experience for opera fans and newcomers alike.

For this long-running revival, five internationally-acclaimed singers perform the role of Violetta: the Armenian soprano Hrachuhi Bassenz, the Azerbaijani soprano Dinara Alieva, the Russian sopranos Kristina Mkhitaryan and Vlada Borovko (the latter a former Royal Opera Jette Parker Young Artist) and the Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak. Violetta’s lover Alfredo Germont is performed by Armenian tenor Liparit Avetisyan, Kosovan tenor Rame Lahaj, French-Canadian tenor Frédéric Antoun and Korean tenor Ho-Yoon Chung. Alfredo’s father Giorgio Germont is performed by British Simon Keenlyside, Italian baritone Gabriele Viviani, Serbian baritone Željko Lučić and Romanian baritone George Petean. Italian conductors Daniel Oren, Francesco Ivan Ciampa and Maurizio Benini conduct.

La traviata opens at the Royal Opera House on 17 December 2019, with subsequent performances on 21, 24 (matinee) and 27 December, and 6, 8, 13, 22, 25 (matinee and evening), 27, 28 and 30 (matinee and evening) January, 1 (matinee and evening) February and 14, 16, 19, 21 and 23 March. The matinee performance on 1 February 2020 is British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted and reduced-price seating is available for BSL users.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS 1. For further information or interview requests please contact Antonia Channer 2. For images or press ticket requests please contact Hannah Last

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LA TRAVIATA

17, 21, 27 December 2019 at 7pm 24 December 2019 at 12pm 6, 8, 13, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30 January 2020 at 7pm 25 and 30 January 2020 at 12pm 1 February 2020 at 12pm (BSL interpreted) 1 February 2020 at 7pm 14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March 2020 at 7pm

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Credits

Music Libretto Francesco Maria Piave Director Richard Eyre Designer Bob Crowley Lighting designer Jean Kalman Director of movement Jane Gibson

Performers

Conductors Daniel Oren (17, 21, 27 December and 6, 8, 22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 January evening and 1 February matinee) Francesco Ivan Ciampa* (24 matinee December, 13, 25 evening, 27, 30 January matinee, 1 February evening) Maurizio Benini (14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Violetta Valéry Hrachuhi Bassenz (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December and 6, 8, 13 January) Dinara Alieva* (22, 25 matinee, 28 evening, 30 January evening)

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Kristina Mkhitaryan (25 evening, 27, 30 January matinee and 1 February evening) Vlada Borovko (1 February matinee) Aleksandra Kurzak (14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Alfredo Germont Liparit Avetisyan (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December, and 6, 8, 13 January) Rame Lahaj* (22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 January evening and 1 February matinee) Ho-Yoon Chung* (25 evening, 27, 30 January matinee and 1 February evening) Frédéric Antoun (14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Giorgio Germont Simon Keenlyside (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December and 6, 8, 13 January) Gabriele Viviani (22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 January evening and 1 February matinee) Željko Lučić (25 evening, 27, 30 January matinee and 1 February evening) George Petean (14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Baron Douphol Germán E. Alcántara

Doctor Grenvil Timothy Dawkins* (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December, 6, 8, 13 January) Michael Mofidian** (22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 evening January) Lukas Jakobski (25 evening, 27, 30 matinee January, 1 February matinee, 1 February evening) Robert Lloyd (14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Flora Bervoix Stephanie Wake-Edwards** (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December, 6, 8, 13, 25 evening, 27, 30 matinee January, 1 February evening)

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Hongni Wu** (22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 evening January, 1 February matinee) Helen Sherman* (14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Marquis D’Obigny Jeremy White (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December, 6, 8, 13, 25 evening, 27, 30 matinee January, 1 February evening) ByeongMin Gil** (22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 evening January, 1 February matinee, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Gastone de Letorières Andrés Presno** (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December, 6, 8, 9, 13, 25, 27, 30 matinee January, 1 evening February) Filipe Manu** (22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 January, 1 matinee February, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Annina Pamela Helen Stephenson (17, 21, 24 matinee, 27 December, 6, 8, 13 January) Sarah Pring (22, 25 matinee, 28, 30 evening January, 1 February matinee) Renata Skarelyte (25 evening, 27, 30 matinee January, 1 February evening) Catherine Carby (14, 16, 19, 21, 23 March)

Royal Opera Chorus Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

* Royal Opera debut ** Jette Parker Young Artist

About The Royal Opera The Royal Opera, under the artistic direction of Antonio Pappano, Music Director, and Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based in the iconic Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned both for its outstanding performances of traditional opera and for commissioning new works by today’s

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leading opera composers, such as Harrison Birtwistle, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès.

About the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House’s aim is for many more people to enjoy and engage in exceptional ballet and opera. As The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, we bring together the world’s most extraordinary ballet and opera artists in more than 500 performances every year: live events that thrill, move and excite, and that transport people to other worlds though music, dance and theatre.

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