That chandelier is really the most important design feature that lends a sense of reality to the setting, the forced joyfulness of the doomed demi-monde Violetta’s lifestyle.īut then there are other, equally-evocative, identifiers: the “neon” silhouettes of Paris landmarks, including Sacré Coeur, the Moulin Rouge, and the Eiffel Tower, circa 1950, the period in which this production is set. Set designer Brian Thomson’s 3.5 tonne chandelier sparkling with 10,000 crystals is deservedly a talking point and one of the production features that keeps the eye from wandering during the performance to the distant Sydney Opera House off to the right. Perhaps by amplifying the extroverted aspects so much that the “interior” scenes are moving by comparison. But how does it affect an opera like Verdi’s “La Traviata,” which depicts the intimate side of the life of the “Traviata” – Violetta and the threat of her mortal illness–as much as her life of luxury? The Chandelier Headlines Production Arguably, you couldn’t get a more spectacular venue for a performance than this outdoor arena temporarily situated on the eastern side of Farm Cove across the bay from the famed Opera House. How a venue brings out different qualities in a familiar work is one of the fascinating aspects of theatrical performance traditions. Opera Australia’s annual Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour returned this year after last year’s Covid-enforced hiatus with a re-staging by Constantine Costi of the production of “ La Traviata” by Francesca Zambello which, back in 2012, launched this Sydney institution.
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