La Traviata, one of the most popular masterpieces of Giuseppe Verdi, will be shown on Historic Stage from 5 to 9 May. La Traviata first appeared on the Bolshoi’s billboards in 1858 and since the time never disappeared. Current production – work of Francesca Zambello, who is a three times winner of the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award and the author of more than 100 worldwide shows. It is her fifth Traviata within her directing career (and her third production at the Bolshoi). Performance was created for Historic Stage that was reopened after reconstruction in 2012, and it is still a cherry on the top in our repertoire. According to the public opinion, it is still fresh and new throughout the years.
“...Regularly, every next version of production is better than the previous one. I call this effect the syndrome of “the great painting”. Repeatedly, looking at the piece, you are discovering something that was not noticed earlier. Painters, composers gradually become your friends” (Francesca Zambello on La Traviata at the Bolshoi).
Performance of an outstanding opera singer Plácido Domingo as Giorgio Germont is featured as our main event during the May series. La Traviata is one of his personal records – Domingo comes out onstage with it already for 60 years! At the age of nineteen, he sang a minor part as Gastone. Next year, 1961, he had his first main opera part of Alfredo Germont. As his conducting debut, which took place in New York City Opera (season 1973/74), Domingo again chooses Traviata. After transition to baritone repertoire, he performs part of Germont-father with triumphant success. His interpretation conquered the hearts at Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Bavarian and Vienna Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden and theatre La Scala in Milan. His performances at Mariinsky Theatre, festivals in Arena di Verona and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino were met with ovations.
Recent performances at Berlin State Opera caused a sensation: “Again and again, with virtuoso technique and the sense of style, he brought the audience into the state of endless joy. His duet with Violetta elicited standing ovations. At the end of “Di provenza il mar, il sol”, the applause became louder and lengthier, which testifies the unparalleled mastery of Domingo, his talent to charm the audience and to create Grand performance out of the smallest fragments (OperaGazet, 17/01/2020).
Biggest stars of the world opera will have all the leading parts. One of the glorious Violettas of our times, Irina Lungu, made a remarkable career at many opera stages of the world. In 2007, she performed as Violetta Valeri for the first time on the opera stage of La Scala. From that time onwards she sang more than 130 times – in Rome, Venice, Napoli, Turino, Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Zurich, Berlin and Hamburg, Tokio, Seoul. In 2017, her “sparkling soprano” sounded within walls of the Bolshoi: “...Through her vocal sophistication and true acting, singer of dramatically sensitive transformation, she was able to create psychologically whole and integral image of main heroine that caused admiration in our performance!” (belcanto.ru, 20/11/2017).
“Radiant, blossomy voice” – as newspaper “The New York Times” noted about her. “Irresistible actress”, “persuasive in all the senses” – added Vienna “Der Neue Merker”.
Arturo Chacón-Cruz became widely known not only in his home country Mexico, but also in the USA after the brilliant victory on the Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition in 2005. He performed on the stages of the main opera houses as well – Washington National Opera, Opera San Francisco, Opera of Los Angeles and Houston. His career unfolds at the biggest European venues with equal success – theatres La Scala in Milan, Real in Madrid, Liceo in Barcelona, Theatre an der Wien and Berlin State Opera, Arena di Verona. In 2012, the singer debuted at the Bolshoi theatre as Alfredo, one of the key roles in his repertoire, which accounts for more than fifty compositions of Bellini and Donizetti to Verdi and Puccini.
Zuzana Marková will have part of Violetta on our stage once more. Besides Bolshoi, she performed it at The Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Lyrical Theatre in Cagliari, Berlin State Opera, in Marcel and Atlanta. Press media called her appearance in production by Simon Stone on stage of Paris National Opera a “discovery” and particularly praised her excellent technique” and “subtle acting”.
According to common consensus by critics, “Ideal Alfredo” was admitted to become Matteo Lippi. His first performance in La Traviata on stage of Teatro La Fenice (Venice, 2015, director Robert Carsen) brought such a love and recognition from music lovers that he is singing there until now. He performs on stages of Royal Danish Opera (Copenhagen), Norwegian National Opera (Oslo), theatres of Florence and Modena with great success. At the Bolshoi, Matteo Lippi performs a part of Alfredo (La Traviata) and Rodolfo (La Boheme).
Alfredo Germon is one of the central parts for Liparit Avetisyan in his repertoire. His series of significant debuts happened at Royal Opera Covent Garden and Sydney Opera, Australia. At the Bolshoi Theatre he performed in 2017 in the productions of the Dresden Semper Opera, Berlin and Hamburg State Operas.
Vasily Ladyuk is a permanent guest soloist on our stage. At the Bolshoi, he holds a broad repertoire, and he sang part of Giorgio Germont in La Traviata in 2012. Main roles belong to leading soloists of the Bolshoi – Dinara Alieva (Violetta) and Elchin Azizov (Giorgio Germont).
Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson will be at the conductor’s stand in La Traviata for the first time. Well-recognized interpreter of Italian music of XIX Century, at the Bolshoi, he is conducting operas of Verdi and Puccini – Un ballo in maschera, Don Carlo, La Boheme, Manon Lescaut as well as Iolanta by Tchaikovsky. Mrs. Wilson also collaborates with many prestigious symphonic groups, including Los Angeles Philharmonic and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, which is in high demand among largest theatres of the world: including Royal Opera Covent Garden, Vienna and Bavarian State operas. In January 2021, she debuted at Salzburg Festival, conducting the opening concert of the Mozart Week.
Art. Lebedev Studio