State Opera South Australia’s La Traviata brought a vibrant aesthetic and feminist perspective to the ever-popular masterpiece.
In her note in the program, director Sarah Giles discusses the “infuriating” lack of complexity in the female characters within opera. But she concludes, “I don’t want to throw away these operas, I simply want to ask when we’re staging them: Why are we doing this now, and are we looking at it from a new perspective?”
Lauren Fagan and Kang Wang in La Traviata, State Opera South Australia, 2022. Photo © That Photography Place
This staging (a co-production with Opera Queensland and West Australian Opera) was effective in bringing this new perspective, portraying Violetta as a character with depth, autonomy and emotional complexity. Lauren Fagan – making her Australian mainstage operatic debut – was utterly compelling in the role. Her rich vocal tone and impressive range of colours and nuances really drew the listener into Violetta’s emotional states.
Kang Wang’s portrayal of Alfredo brought out the character’s youthful naivete and deep sincerity. The beautiful purity and warmth of his voice in the opening act developed more and more pathos and emotional...
SA State Opera’s rendition of La Traviata may well have been musically satisfying – the orchestra handled the score well, the singers were fine but we could have done without the ‘regietheater’ vulgar and unnecessary director’s handling of the opening scene’s underlined sex scene during Verdi’s poignant orchestral introduction. I would suggest that Directors, while trying to be noticed, attempt to edify their audience intelligently rather than descend to basic crudeness. There are other ways to portray the feminine problems. The audience already knows Violetta is a courtisane, so treat the audience with respect. I felt violated.