Verdi La traviata
Sunday 19 March 2023 - 15 h
Tuesday 21 March 2023 - 20 h
Thursday 23 March 2023 - 20 h
Melodramma in three acts
Music by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave after The Lady of the Camellias (1852) by Alexandre Dumas fils, a play based on his novel of the same name
Premiere: Venice, Teatro La Fenice, 6 March 1853
Production of the Monte Carlo Opera, in co-production with the Opéra-Théâtre de Saint-Étienne
This first season of the Monte Carlo Opera under its new director will see the return of Jean-Louis Grinda’s production of La traviata created in 2013. A symbol of a harmonious handover of power and a sign of true understanding, these performances will also be an opportunity to celebrate the return of Plácido Domingo to a stage he last walked on as a singer in 1980. Alongside him, the wonderful Aida Garifullina will offer her touching portrayal of Verdi and Dumas’ heroine, and Javier Camarena will make a much-anticipated debut as Alfredo.
As Charles Dickens remarked when he visited Paris in 1847 at the time of the death of Marie Duplessis –known to posterity as the Lady of the Camellias– the whole city stood still, transfixed by the romantic death of its most famous demi-mondaine. Thanks to Alexandre Dumas fils, who had his own very personal reasons for dwelling on this tragic fate, and to Giuseppe Verdi, it can be said that two 19th century geniuses gave the beautiful and sensitive Marie a true immortality.
CONDUCTOR | MASSIMO ZANETTI
DIRECTOR | JEAN-LOUIS GRINDA
SET DESIGN | RUDY SABOUNGHI
COSTUME DESIGN | JORGE JARA
LIGHTING DESIGN | LAURENT CASTAINGT
CHOREOGRAPHY | EUGÉNIE ANDRIN
CHOIRMASTER | STEFANO VISCONTI
MONTE CARLO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Plácido Domingo
What does Monte Carlo and especially its opera house with its splendid history mean to you, and how do you feel about returning there to sing after quite some years?
I love the Salle Garnier of the Monte Carlo Opera and am delighted to return to this glorious miniature of the Paris Opéra Garnier. The history of this theatre is extraordinary if we think that composers like Puccini, Mascagni, Massenet or Saint-Saëns premiered magnificent masterpieces there. My own debut in Monte Carlo goes back to 1977; I sang Otello, Aida and Pagliacci at the Salle Garnier, and I conducted Amelia Goes to the Ball and The Telephone there. I cherish wonderful memories.
Many years ago, you said that at some point you will go back to singing baritone roles, and you have done so very successfully. What is the secret?
No particular secret, I have simply continued to follow the development of my voice. I must say these parts make me extremely happy, especially Verdi’s. Who would have ever guessed that after a life as a tenor I would return to the baritone repertoire, and this with a role that I thought I had reserved for the very end of my career as a singer: Simon Boccanegra.
What do you like about singing in La traviata, and what kind of image do you want to give Giorgio Germont?
Giorgio Germont is the motor of this drama. He is a father who thinks he is acting right for the sake of his family, and that is why his encounter, or rather confrontation with the two youngsters in the second act is so intense. Little by little, however, he discovers Violetta’s tragedy, greatness and generosity, and this makes him suffer terribly. At the end, the woman who seemed to be the ruin of his family turns into a daughter for him. Thanks to Violetta, Germont is transformed and revealed as a character of great humanity.
For many years, you have combined your career as a performer with that of an administrator in leading opera houses. What advice would you give to Cecilia Bartoli for her new position as director of the Monte Carlo Opera?
The Monte Carlo Opera is a jewel which Jean-Louis (Grinda) knew how to cherish. Thus, a very precious testimony is passed on to Cecilia. I am sure that with her intelligence, sensitivity and enthusiasm she will succeed magnificently, as she has already shown with her unmistakable touch in Salzburg!