Almost one hundred and seventy years after its creation, La Traviata is one of Verdi’s most famous and popular musical works. The production, currently being staged in Fribourg, Switzerland, features promising Czech soprano Lucie Kaňková as Violetta Valéry. All four upcoming performances are sold out, with the next one at the Nouvel Opéra taking place on December 28. Alfredo Germont is sung by Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani, his father by Jean-Kristof Bouton. The musical direction is by Enrico Dovica, and the direction is by Tamara Heimbrock.

In La Traviata, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas Jr. The Lady of the Camellias about Marie Duplessis, a famous courtesan and idol of Parisian society in the 1840s, Giuseppe Verdi created the first major opera on a current social theme. Not only this fact was unacceptable to the audience at the premiere in Venice in 1853: the audience was also shocked that the main role in this opera was intended for a courtesan, who was also portrayed as a positive character. So the premiere ended in a complete fiasco. But soon after, Verdi’s La Traviata celebrated its first triumphs and is still one of the most popular repertoire titles.

The direction in Fribourg requires the presence of Violetta Valéry – that is, Lucie Kaňková – on stage for the entire duration of the opera. Moreover, there is only one intermission instead of the usual two. “The staging concept is unconventional,” the soloist said about her recent work. “The entire opera takes place in my mind and is a memory of my past. I have a reserved personal space on the stage where none of my colleagues can see me and, as needed, I enter the scene or remain as an observer. I am accompanied by the angel of death and a little girl who represents my childhood.”

https://www.klasikaplus.cz/lucie-kankova-ve-svycarskem-fribourgu-jako-violetta/