This Spring, people can enjoy Verdi’s ever popular La traviata, broadcast LIVE from Covent Garden to over 800 cinemas, in 18 countries, around the world. Richard Eyre’s production, with sumptuous belle époque-inspired designs by Bob Crowley, has long been a Royal Opera favourite, winning critical acclaim for its exquisite sets, lavish costumes, and unforgettably dramatic staging.
The score – featuring Violetta’s joyous ‘Sempre libera,’ and her poignant and passionate encounters with Alfredo and Germont – contains many of Verdi’s most inspired arias and duets, and, as it moves from the dazzling coloratura of Act I to an intense, heartbreaking close, offers audiences a stunning selection of some of opera’s greatest hits. The work was Eyre’s first for the Royal Opera House, created in 1994 while he was Director of the National Theatre, and has received over 550 performances since its premiere.
The production will be broadcast live on Wednesday 13 April 2022, and sung by an international cast that includes renowned South African soprano Pretty Yende, celebrated American tenor Stephen Costello and Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias. Encore screenings will run from Sunday 17 April 2022.
The ROH cinema programme launched in 2008 and has, since then, brought world-class opera and ballet to audiences around the world. This year, six major works from our 2021/22 Season are being broadcast to cinemas around the world, offering audiences the best seat in the house for each performance, and including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and rehearsal insights.
The programme forms an integral part of our plan to secure our future, expand audiences and help facilitate the vital recovery of cinema domestically and internationally.
Oliver Mears, Director of The Royal Opera, said: “Richard Eyre’s beloved production of La traviata is one of those rare jewels – still working its magic many years after its celebrated premiere. It is an opera embraced by newcomers and aficionados alike and, with a talented cast of singers led by Pretty Yende and Stephen Costello, is the perfect ROH production to enjoy in cinemas this spring.”
The Royal Opera House’s Cinema Season will conclude with a live broadcast of Swan Lake, scheduled for Thursday 19 May 2022.
