Opera UCT & Cape Town Opera present spectacular reimagining of Verdi’s La Traviata
Step into a world of passion, tragedy, magnificent melody and visual extravagance as Opera UCT and Cape Town Opera (CTO) present Verdi’s La traviata, with direction and design by well-known theatre maker, director, designer, actress and playwright, Marí Borstlap.
The production will feature two dynamic casts, each featuring a combination of singers from both institutions. Opera UCT alumni and CTO House Soloists Brittany Smith as Violetta, Lukhanyo Moyake as Alfredo and Conroy Scott as Germont join forces with Opera UCT's rising talent in Ondelwa Martins as Violetta, Sakhumzi Martins as Alfredo and Siphe Kwani as Germont.
Both Ondelwa and Sakhumzi Martins were born and raised in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, and enrolled at UCT in 2019 for the Diploma in Music Performance which they completed with distinctions in vocal studies and opera training. They are currently approaching the end of the final year of their Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance. Together they were awarded 1st prize in the duet section of the 2023 Aviva Pelham Operetta Competition and while Sakhumzi scooped up first prize in the Schock Foundation Singing Competition (2022) and first prize in the FoCTO Bursary Competition (2023), Ondelwa walked away with first prize in the David Aldred Competition for sopranos (2023). The La traviata roles of Violetta and Alfredo could not be more fitting as Ondelwa and Sakhumzi Martins are married!
Another Opera UCT favourite from Khayelitsha, baritone Siphe Kwani, is delighted to be performing the role of Germont. Siphe won first prize and the audience prize in the Schock Foundation Singing Competition (2019) and first prize in the FoCTO Bursary Competition (2022). Currently also in the second year of his Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance at Opera UCT, Siphe says, “I have never performed the full opera of La traviata before, but growing up in the local choirs, we used to sing some of the chorus pieces for Choir Competitions. Opera UCT’s Intensive training is preparing us for the world stages with its unmatched artistry and vocal training”.
Sharing the other roles will be CTO’s Judith Neilson Young Artists Asisipho Petu, Julia Portela Piñon, Lonwabo Mose, Tylor Lamani and Lwazi Dlamini together with Opera UCT's Lauren Pharaoh, Christine Bam, Yonwaba Mbo, Vuyisa Xipu and Eric van Rooyen. CTO choristers Garth Delport and Lindile Kula take the roles of the Commissionario and Domestico respectively.
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will be under the baton of Director of Opera UCT, Jeremy Silver, for whom La traviata holds special significance, being the first opera he conducted in South Africa at the State Theatre, Pretoria in 2004.
The combined chorus from Opera UCT and CTO will be directed by UCT postgraduate conducting student Marvin Kernelle and the dance ensemble is from The Waterfront Theatre School.
La traviata is one of the world's most frequently performed operas, featuring some of the most recognised and revered arias in the genre. It has resonated with audiences since its premiere in Venice in 1853. The opera revolves around the glamorous high-class courtesan Violetta, and Alfredo, a sincere young man who loves her, as they confront challenges in a society that judges their love morally and socially. As Violetta's health declines, her choices, influenced by Alfredo's father, Germont, lead to heartbreaking consequences.
Performances are 26, 27 October at 19:00, 28 October at 18:00 and 29 October at 15:00.
Tickets cost from R162 to R520 through Computicket or 0214217695.
Director and designer, Marí Borstlap, will present this much loved opera through a new lens. She tells the story as a stream of memories as Violetta reviews her life from beyond the veil that separates the living from the departed. The linear timeline weaves through a series of flashbacks as her soul floats in an ocean of vivid imagery, emotions, sounds and symbolism.
Visually, she has drawn inspiration from Georgia O’Keefe’s large-scale flowers, Leonora Carrington’s dreamlike surrealism, Sarah Moon’s atmospheric photographs and 1860’s dancer Loie Fuller, a pioneer of modern dance. What awaits is a visceral tour de force that will intrigue both opera aficionados and newcomers to the genre.
The design vocabulary is made up of recurring motifs such as the varied use of circles and string. These motifs create symbolic representations of things (such as a larger-than-life bougainvillaea made out of yarn and a string curtain covering the entire stage). A giant glass container serves as a dance floor in act 1 only to be transformed into a greenhouse in the countryside, housing surrealism-inspired giant flowers. The set design is punctuated throughout with custom-designed visual imagery projected onto a soft gauze. Costuming runs the full scope from pure linens to extravagant silk and soft tulle. Although her creative concept is avant-garde Marí has kept certain iconic elements in the mix, such as breath-taking ball gowns and large, opulent chandeliers. “This is La traviata after all,” says Marí, “so there is glitz and glamour too!"
Don't miss the chance to witness this stirring production where the best of South Africa's vocal talent meets nuanced storytelling and Verdi's invigorating, glorious score.