Natalie Dessay made her first European appearances as Violetta in La traviata in a new production by the French director Jean-François Sivadier at the 2011 Aix-en-Provence Festival. This DVD captures her intense performance in the company of American tenor Charles Castronovo as Alfredo and French baritone Ludovic Tézier as his father, Giorgio Germont. “Her theatrical impact is devastating,” wrote the Financial Times.
With this new production of La traviata at the 2011 Aix-en-Provence Festival, Natalie Dessay made her first European appearances as Verdi’s Violetta, a pinnacle of the soprano repertoire. She made her debut in the role in 2009 at the Santa Fe Festival in the US, and subsequently sang Violetta in Japan. Dessay’s 2011-12 season will include La traviata at the Vienna State Opera (in this Aix-en-Provence production by French theatre and opera director Jean-François Sivadier) and the New York Metropolitan.
Violetta makes tremendous demands on a singer, both vocally and dramatically, and signals Dessay’s transition from lighter coloratura roles to the more full-blooded lyric repertoire. “I’m tired of playing weeping girls,” she told the French magazine Télé 7 Jours, “Violetta is a real woman. That makes a nice change!” The change was clearly successfully achieved: describing Dessay’s performance, the Financial Times wrote that “her theatrical impact is devastating”.
Sivadier’s production was staged in the open air, in Aix-en-Provence’s exquisite Théâtre de l'Archevêché with its huge spiral staircases, medieval arches and 18th-century wings. The stage décor was minimal, the simple costumes evoked the 1940s or 1950s, and the prime focus was on intense characterisation.Val says Malc and I have been giving thought to our winter Opera season. whichever evening we pick there will be someone keen to come who cannot make the night, so our apologies if that is the case.We are provisionally planning starting in October through to April, and we would like to commence on Wednesday 16th of Oct at 6.30 pm and in the same format with an apero dinatoire before the opera. If there is any glaringly obvious reason why Wednesdays are not good please let us know at this early planning stage
We thought it would be interesting to start with Natalie Dessay and at Aix en Provence Festival in 2011
For the second evening a complete reversal with a 1982 production of Verdi's Rigoletto with a younger Pavarotti. The date for this would be Wed. 13th of Nov.
We would welcome your suggestions for the rest of the season and we would ideally like a good version of Carmen if anyone has ideas.
The evenings will be as last year, 10 euros donation to help street children in Bamako, Mali
Please let us know if you will be planning on joining us
comments to taglines82@gmail.com
Luciano Pavarotti (born 12th October 1935, died 6th September 2007), an Italian tenor, was one of the greatest and most famous singers of his time, not only in the world of opera, but across all genres. He was born in Modena (Emilia-Romagna), in northern Italy.
Pavarotti enjoyed a fortuitous introduction to British audiences in 1963 when his idol Giuseppe Di Stefano fell ill, and Pavarotti replaced him at the London Palladium. The performance was broadcast to 15 million viewers and the young star was signed by Decca, heralding the start of a prodigious recording career.
His La Scala debut took place in 1965, the same year he went on tour with Australian soprano Joan Sutherland. Pavarotti remained forever grateful for what he learned from her about vocal technique and breathing. He made his debut at his beloved Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1968, and was an international superstar within five years.
Verdi: Rigoletto
Staged and Directed by: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Ingvar Wixell (Rigoletto/Monterone), Edita Gruberova (Gilda), Luciano Pavarotti (Il Duca), Victoria Vergara (Maddalena), Ferruccio Furlanetto (Sparafucile), Fedora Barbieri (Giovanna),Bernd Weikl (Marullo), Rémy Corazza (Borsa), Roland Bracht (Il Conte di Ceprano), Kathleen Kuhlmann (La Contessa di Ceprano)
Wiener Philharmoniker & Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Riccardo Chailly
Filmed in Mantua, Cremona, Sabionetta, Parma und Acquanegra in May 1982
“Not to be missed.” New York Times
“It is truly memorable, with Pavarotti a Bacchus-like figure in the orgy scene...He acts the part of the Count as believably as if the latter's philosophy was his very own, and he sings gloriously throughout. But Ingar Wixell's magnificently powerful Rigoletto still dominates the narrative...The production is traditional in the best sense; costumes are colourful, sets believable.” Penguin Guide, 2010 edition ****
