La traviata by Verdi, ig. 15 eka. 2025, Noiztik (2025/2025), Zuzendaria Karin Henkel, Zuzendaria Paolo Carignani, Grand-Théâtre, Geneva, Switzerland

To end the season, one of the most emblematic figures of female sacrifice in opera: Violetta Valéry. Or Marguerite Gautier in Lady of the Camellias, the original work by Alexandre Dumas fils. A demi-mondaine with a pure and generous soul, she offers up her happiness on the altar of bourgeois morality in order to protect the reputation and future of her lover – and in the process wins the prize for the longest dying scene in the repertory… But even within this atoning sacrifice, in this final ‘Oh joy!’ that she pushes out on the exhale, under our cold spotlights, Violetta achieves a romantic glory that none of the men who gravitate around her will ever share. These men will undoubtedly be content with a small, peaceful and self-righteous death. And off-camera. Karin Henkel, one of the great directors of German theatre today, returns to the opera genre after her brief and remarkable foray into Prokofiev’s The Player at the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in 2018. By confronting Violetta with alter egos from different eras, she will examine a 19th century heroine’s sacrifice through a modern female gaze. Skillfully supported by Aleksandar Denić’s versatile sets and Teresa Vergho’s whimsical costumes, Karin Henkel’s reading will offer a fresh vision of this well-known drama. From here, it would take only a few more steps to turn the piece into a feminist work. Italian conductor and Verdi specialist Paolo Carignani will lead the reinterpretation of this iconic score with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and a brilliant double cast. After Rachel’s sacrifice in the Jew of 21-22, in which she delivered a remarkable performance, Ruzan Mantashyan will place her brilliant soprano at the service of that of Violetta, alternating with Jeanine de Bique, who was a sparkling Poppea on the GTG stage in 2021. Two highly anticipated roles. Alternating opposite them as Alfredo will be stunning Italian belcantist Enea Scala and solar-toned Frenchman Julien Behr.