Politics Hits The Opera Stage

Thursday 15 September 2005

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Pre-election politicking of a different kind takes place tonight (Thursday 15 September) on Auckland's Aotea Centre stage, when the curtain rises on The Genesis Energy Spring Season of Verdi's LA TRAVIATA presented by The NBR New Zealand Opera.

Promising the best looking, most sumptuous sounding and sparkling display of love politics to be played out on the opera stage, La Traviata is an impressive and bold display of love, scandal, power-play and self-sacrifice that looks set to rival all other political taunts taking place around the country this week.

Famous for its luscious music and classic story of romance coloured by impending tragedy, La Traviata is the quinessential opera. The inspiration for aspiring romance novelists and Hollywood movie moguls over many decades, La Traviata is irresistibly high impact, emotionally juicy, opera to die for!

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The story goes that Violetta is a beautiful courtesan with a history. Her lover Alfredo, a young nobleman, from a wealthy family. When their scandalous relationship threatens the good name of his relatives, a sacrifice must be made. But will it be the purity of their love or the family's good name that wins the day?

Russian director, Dmitry Bertman and English conductor, Julian Smith, are at the helm of a superb international creative team and cast that stars Russian soprano, Elvira Fatykhova as Violetta and Puerto Rican tenor Rafael Davila as Alfredo. Well-known New Zealand opera performers include Rodney Macann as Alfredo's father, Giorgio Germont, and Zan McKendree-Wright as Flora.

This production of La Traviata comes to The NBR New Zealand Opera from the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, where it was originally staged in 1999.

The Genesis Energy Spring Season of La Traviata has five performances at the Aotea Centre, The Edge, Auckland from 15-23 September, and four performances at the Westpac St James Theatre, Wellington from 8-15 October.

ENDS

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