La Traviata

La Traviata returned to the Arts Centre to an enthusiastic audience. This was a revival of a production I hadn’t encountered before, but it worked very well. The opening scene was crowded for Violetta’s party, which was a nice contrast to the closing scene at the same venue, with little furniture or decoration.

The American Corinne Winters was the Violetta and sang beautifully. She looked gorgeous and had the right figure for someone dying of tuberculosis. In the opening act she seemed to do a lot of drinking, but never appeared drunk, and her big aria lacked the abandon one would expect. However, she came into her own in the final act with a touching “Addio del Passato”.

Her Alfredo, Korean Yosep Kang, displayed a thrilling tenor voice and was a passionate lover. His duets with Violetta were well balanced. José Carbó sang magnificently as Germont père, though he could have been a little more sympathetic. Dominica Matthews and Natalie Aroyan shone in smaller roles.

The chorus were magnificent and the sets impressive. The chorus got to do the dancing at Flora’s party and acquitted themselves well.

This was a production worthy of our national company.

Graham Ford

Images: Corinne Winters as Violetta Valéry and Yosep Kang as Alfredo Germont, & Chorus members in Opera Australia's 2018 production of La Traviata at the Melbourne Arts Centre.

Photographer: Jeff Busby