La Traviata: Staged in Zurich in the city's central station

[Mira]

Did you know about this, happened in 2008?

Traviata:
Only in Switzerland you can orderly stage an opera in the middle of the city's central station the way Opernhaus Zurich did tonight. Eva Mei, Vittorio Grigolo, the Zurich Opera Orchestra conducted by Paolo Carignani have brought Traviata to the people, using various parts of the station as sets, while in an example of controlled chaos people walked by, stared at the madness of it all, took the singers' photos (the orchestra -- obviously the only static element of the production -- was placed on a platform in the middle of the center hall, while singers and the chorus moved around).

The audience/travelers reaction at the end of the show? Massive, unabashed enthusiasm and a never ending ovation that was still going on many minutes after the last note, when the broadcast ended -- each and every one of those people in the train station blissfully unaware of the much-discussed death of classical music, difficulty to understand opera, and general aloofness of nineteenth century musical theater.



http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/eva-mei/

[trusty elf]

1. Hi Mira!

I didn't hear about that. Cool idea!

Do you know the Zurich Hauptbahnhof? The main hall is positively gigantic. i imagine the singers (at least) must have had some kind of amplification.

The Zurich Opera Orchestra has a subset of baroque players who formed an orchestra called "La Scintilla'. I'm going to be working with them at the Zurich Opera from now until early January doing "Orlando" by G.F. Händel w/Bill Christie conducting. It's nice playing in Zurich. I get to go home at night! :)

A few years ago I was on tour in the States with La Scintilla and Cecilia Bartoli. We were at the Boston airport going through security. A security person asked me what the name of the group was and I told her "The Chinchilla". :D The lady said, "Chinchilla"? ! Do you all play Irish music ? ! :wtf: :rofl: :wtf: :rofl:


:hi:

[david13]

2. There were two posts in the lounge about the version taking

place in a market in Valencia. Done in December, I guess. It's still on u toob.
La Traviata Valencia.
dc