Pretty Yende begins the 2021/22 season by returning to the Wiener Staatsoper as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata. Simon Stone’s critically acclaimed production of this beloved operatic masterpiece brings this tragic love story to the digital age. Performances will take place on September 5, 7, 15, & 18. Nicola Luisotti conducts.
Ms. Yende will sing alongside Frédéric Antoun as Alfredo, Ludovic Tézier as Germont, Szilvia Vörös as Flora, Stephanie Maitland as Annina, Carlos Osuna as Gaston, Sergey Kaydalov as Baron Douphol, and Michael Arivony as Marquis von Obigny, among others. Seen and Heard International recently praised Ms. Yende’s “outstanding” portrayal of Violetta in Simon Stone’s production this past spring at Wiener Staatsoper, acclaiming:
“She is a picture of glowing health whereas in a ‘traditional’ production she would need to be a more standard consumptive heroine. […] Among Yende’s very best moments are the achingly sad ‘Dite alla giovine, sì bella e pura’ – where she agrees to abandon Alfredo so as not to thwart his sister’s plans for a high-profile marriage – and her deeply affecting and prayerful farewell to life (‘Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti’) sung with naked expression and aching lyricism.”
Photo: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Music Entertainment
