Ermonela Jaho makes a haunting return to Covent Garden’s Traviata

By Mark Pullinger, 15 January 2019

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“I even harboured the brief thought that, this time, Violetta may just survive”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 14 January 2019

Verdi, La traviata

The Royal Opera

Antonello Manacorda, Conductor

Sir Richard Eyre, Director

Bob Crowley, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Ermonela Jaho, Violetta Valéry

Charles Castronovo, Alfredo Germont

Igor Golovatenko, Giorgio Germont

Aigul Akhmetshina, Flora Bervoix

Thomas Atkins, Gastone de Letorières

Germán Enrique Alcántara, Baron Douphol

Pamela Helen Stephen, Annina

Jeremy White, Marquis d'Obigny

Simon Shibambu, Dr Grenvil

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

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With Aigul Akhmetshina and Seokjong Baek in the title roles, there are reasons to be optimistic, but The Royal Opera's revival of Richard Jones' production is a mixed bag.

***11

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Christopher Woodley, 5th May

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****1

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****1

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Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

*****

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Dominic Lowe, 25th March

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

****1

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

*****

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.