Sivadier's production of La traviata languishes in Vienna

By Jonathan Sutherland, 11 September 2015

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“Breslik’s unforced singing... eschewed any temptation for cheap vocal effects”

Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 9 September 2015

Verdi, La traviata

Vienna State Opera

Michael Schønwandt, Conductor

Jean-François Sivadier, Director

Alexandre de Dardel, Set Designer

Virginie Gervaise, Costume Designer

Irina Lungu, Violetta Valéry

Pavol Breslik, Alfredo Germont

Carlos Álvarez, Giorgio Germont

Aura Twarowska, Annina

Zoryana Kushpler, Flora Bervoix

Jason Bridges, Gastone de Letorières

Clemens Unterreiner, Baron Douphol

Dan Paul Dumitrescu, Dr Grenvil

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****1

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Chanda VanderHart, 12th March

The creative team behind the new Staatsoper Clemenza is unwilling to trust that Mozart’s opera is interesting enough to stand on its own.

***11

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A committed cast struggles to lend a spark of life to Kasper Holten's static staging of Mozart's first mature opera.

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A holiday Bohème: Puccini, Zeffirelli and tradition in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 21st December

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***11

Stikhina, Tézier and Tetelman outstanding in classic Vienna Tosca

Mark Pullinger, 20th September

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*****

Lise auf Naxos: Davidsen makes a triumphant return to Ariadne

Mark Pullinger, 28th January

Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen returns to Sven-Eric Bechtolf's lean but polished production with an outstanding cast, outstandingly conducted.

****1

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Jonathan Sutherland

Jonathan Sutherland is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Hochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg. He is also an internationally renowned concert pianist specializing in the music of the 1930s. Jonathan’s first operatic experience was hearing Maria Callas sing Tosca in Covent Garden and he has since heard performances in all continents of the world including over 60 different productions at the Wiener Staatsoper. He has written for The Australian, Opera Today and The Opera Critic as well as Bachtrack. Jonathan speaks English, French, German and Italian fluently and is based in the south of France near Nice.