McVicar's Traviata is still darkly impressive

By Mark Pullinger, 23 November 2018

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“the atmosphere reeks of claustrophobia and decay”

Reviewed at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton on 23 November 2018

Verdi, La traviata

Welsh National Opera

James Southall, Conductor

Sir David McVicar, Director

Tanya McCallin, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Anush Hovhannisyan, Violetta Valéry

Kang Wang, Alfredo Germont

Roland Wood, Giorgio Germont

Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, Flora Bervoix

Howard Kirk, Gastone de Letorières

Sian Meinir, Annina

Philip Lloyd-Evans, Marquis d'Obigny

Martin Lloyd, Dr Grenvil

Simon Crosby Buttle, Giuseppe

Laurence Cole, Flora's servant

Wyn Pencarreg, Baron Douphol

Sarah Crisp, Revival Director

Jennifer Tipton, Lighting Designer

Andrew George, Choreography

Welsh National Opera Chorus

Welsh National Opera Orchestra

A magnificent Tosca from Welsh National Opera at the Mayflower

David Truslove, 3rd October

WNO imports Edward Dick’s exceptionally fine production, which benefits from from superb casting and outstanding performances led by Natalya Romaniw.

*****

Bancroft and BBCNOW at the Proms: a deeply satisfying Mahler 3

David Karlin, 11th August

Bancroft and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales provide a Mahler 3 of exceptional clarity and forward momentum, with terrific posthorn solos from Corey Morris and Beth Taylor an outstanding soloist.

****1

A dark and disturbing Rigoletto from WNO at the Mayflower

David Truslove, 14th November

Fine performances in a punchy new production that coats this tragic opera in a large dollop of debauchery.

****1

WNO stages Death in Venice for the first time and it’s a triumph

Mark Valencia, 7th March

Olivia Fuchs solves the problems of Britten's thorny opera in a brilliant new production that hits the heights, featuring Mark Le Brocq as earthbound scholar, Gustav von Aschenbach.

*****

Musical performances keep WNO's new Così afloat

Mark Valencia, 6th March

Max Hoehn takes Così‘s subtitle, La scuola degli amanti (The School for Lovers), and connects it to Monty Python’s sex education sketch in The Meaning of Life. What larks, eh?

***11

Stacey Alleaume leads WNO's emotionally-charged Traviata

David Truslove, 24th November

Leading an international cast in a still-sumptuous revival in Southampton's Mayflower, Stacey Alleaume gives a sovereign performance as the ill-fated courtesan Violetta.

****1

More reviews...

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.