Opera Australia's outdoor extravaganza is underway
Preparations for Sydney’s greatest outdoor extravaganza this summer are well underway. Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, will be staged from 24 March 2012 on Sydney Harbour for an exclusive three-week season.
Preparations for Sydney’s greatest outdoor extravaganza this summer are well underway. Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, will be staged from 24 March 2012 on Sydney Harbour for an exclusive three-week season. A purpose-built 25-metre stage is now under construction in Adelaide, and will house float Opera Australia’s breathtakingly beautiful production on Sydney Harbour. Lyndon Terracini, Artistic Director of Opera Australia said in a recent interview “Everyone loves to look at the outside of the Sydney Opera House, so why not have that as the backdrop of a wonderful production? It is one of the most beautiful views in the world.” The custom built water stage that will be the centrepiece of Opera Australia’s inaugural Handa Opera (named for Dr Haruhisa Handa, a benefactor of Opera in Australia) is constructed primarily of steel and installed on nine piles. Set against the backdrop of the city skyline and Sydney Opera House, the stage will support the extraordinary set as well as accommodate backstage facilities for the production crew, cast and orchestra. Daring set designer Brian Thomson, whose projects include Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Gale Edwards’ La Boheme, Sydney Olympic and Melbourne Commonwealth Games ceremonies and New Year’s Eve events, is busy constructing the set which will be dominated by a giant chandelier measuring 9-metres x 9-metres. Sparkling with thousands of crystals symbolising the world of Verdi’s much-loved opera with its glittering Parisian salons, the chandelier (suspended from a 26-metre crane) will ascend as fireworks explode all around at the end of Act I. The character Violetta (shared by sopranos Emma Matthews and Rachelle Durkin), after singing the famous aria Sempre Libera, will ascend with the chandelier in a capsule as part of the spectacle. With lighting design by John Rayment and site design by Ross Wallace, the production will feature a forty-piece orchestra under the baton of Brian Castles-Onion. Internationally-acclaimed director Francesca Zambello, whose career has spanned theatre, music theatre, film and opera (including Aladdin at Disneyland and The Little Mermaid on Broadway, to War and Peace for Paris Opera and Carmen for Opera Australia) will oversee the production. She is a multi-award winner including three Olivier Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, two French Grand Prix des Critiques, and a Helpmann Award in Australia.
La Traviata is perfect for first-time opera-goers, and audiences will watch from a luxurious 3,000 seat grandstand erected in the Domain at Fleet Steps, alongside the Royal Botanic Garden. Book at ticketmaster.com.au or call 1300 723 038For VIP Packages visit showbiz.com.au www.operaonsydneyharbour.com.au
