Intimacy of relationship is the high note of a tragic opera
Published Date:
30 June 2008
By Mike Allen
OPERA on a small-to-medium scale has its place in a theatre where the genre has become largely conspicuous by its absence, and Verdi's weepie was well-received last night.
La Traviata was performed in Italian – with English surtitles – by Chichester-based company Vox Lirika, using little more than a table, chairs and a bed for staging and a few projected images evoking period and place. But if this was minimalist opera, it acquired a not inappropriate sense of intimacy.
The role of the tragic heroine, a high-class tart who falls in love, gives up her man for a greater good and dies as they are reconciled, is a tough one, especially for a relatively immature voice such as Monika Stache's.
She was most affecting when able to float a gentle line, and struggled most when dealing with a 16-strong orchestra whipped into a frenzy by conductor Timothy Henty.
Seamus Kinsella's personable Alfredo suffered from the fact that the production generally was so static.
The most powerful performance came from Vox Lirika's highly-experienced founder and director, Jonathan Barry, as Alfredo's father.
The full article contains 196 words and appears in The News newspaper.
-
Last Updated:
30 June 2008 12:32 PM
-
Source:
The News
-
Location:
Portsmouth
