American powerhouse soprano Corinne Winters will make her Australian debut in Melbourne this week in the classic role of Violetta Valéry in La Traviata. A recent nominee in the International Opera Awards Young Singer category, Corinne is set to be a highlight of the season.
Corinne has firmly established herself as one of the world’s most impressive ‘Violettas’, with critically acclaimed performances in more than eight international opera houses including Royal Opera House, San Diego Opera and Opera Hong Kong, now adding Opera Australia to the remarkable list.
“She is a tremendously exciting and wonderful artist who I cannot wait to see perform the role of Violetta for us on the Arts Centre stage,” said Opera Australia Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini.
Corinne will be joined on stage by two of Korea’s most tantalising tenors, Yosep Kang and HoYoon Chung, who return to Australia to share the demanding role of Violetta’s lover, Alfredo Germont. The international artists will be accompanied by an all-star Australian cast, including powerful baritone José Carbó, decorated mezzo-soprano Dominica Matthews and captivating soprano Natalie Aroyan.
La Traviata is one of the world’s most popular operas. It includes the show-stopping arias Sempre Libera as well as the famous drinking song, the Brindisi. Famous for its starring role in the hit film Pretty Woman – when Richard Gere took Julia Roberts to her first opera – La Traviata is the quintessential operatic tragedy.
The story of La Traviata was devastatingly close to Verdi’s own life. Shortly after the death of his young wife and children, Verdi took up with his own ‘traviata’ (or fallen woman) – a celebrated soprano who daringly defied convention in favour of freedom and a life of luxury.
This production by Elijah Moshinsky is one of Opera Australia’s most successful, featuring opulent party scenes in Paris and beautiful autumn afternoons in the countryside. Michael Yeargan’s lavishly decorated sets and Peter J Hall’s exquisite costumes along with Verdi’s famous, hummable tunes combine to create the perfect production for those wanting to experience opera for the first time – or for seasoned opera-goers, the chance to revisit an old favourite with an exciting new cast.
Conductor: Carlo Montanaro Featuring: Corinne Winters, Yosep Kang, Ho-Yoon Chung, José Carbó, Dominica Matthews, John Longmuir, Adrian Tamburini, Tom Hamilton, Gennadi Dubinsky, Natalie Aroyan, Jin Tea Kim, Jonathan McCauley, Malcolm Ede, Opera Australia Chorus, Orchestra Victoria Director: Elijah Moshinsky Revival Director: Constantine Costi Set Designer: Michael Yeargan Costume Designer: Peter J Hall Lighting Designer: Nigel Levings
La Traviata
State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne
Season: 17 April – 11 May 2018
Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
For more information, visit: www.opera.org.au for details.
Image: La Traviata – courtesy of Opera Australia