Verdi’s La Traviata — St. Margarethen Opera Festival, 2008

Full live capture of Giuseppe Verdi’s « La Traviata » at the St. Margarethen Opera Festival in Austria in 2008, staged in the spectacular open-air Roman quarry. A masterpiece of Italian romantic opera premiered in 1853, the work traces the tragic passion of the courtesan Violetta Valéry and the young Alfredo Germont. This open-air production features soprano Kristiane Kaiser in the title role, tenor Jean-François Borras as Alfredo and baritone Georg Tichy as Giorgio Germont, in a complete three-act version. The live filmed concert comes with subtitles in English, German and Italian, and production by EuroArts, a reference label for classical video. The natural acoustics and grand scenography of St. Margarethen offer a unique setting for this lyric drama. For lovers of opera, bel canto and great voices, a precious document that restores the emotion of a summer performance under the Austrian sky, from the overture to the heart-rending finale.