La Traviata
We have made a film of La Traviata. We have chosen one of the repertoire’s most famous and best loved works because it has wonderful, accessible, music and a simple, moving, love story. We take it out of the great opera houses and bring it into a new light. This is not live capture, but a new approach to delivering opera in a different way.
The film will soon be available to watch on SkyArts.
We reimagine Verdi’s opera, originally designed for a large romantic orchestra and huge chorus, as an intimate love story. There is a chorus, and dancers, and an orchestra - none other than the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, led by Jacqueline Shave - but we want to get to the bare bones of this remarkable tale. Developing the relationship between singer and camera that we discovered on The Turn of the Screw, we draw the audience into the heart of the piece. Exploring its emotional canvas in this way we still honour the wonderful, heightened, theatrical world in which Violetta and Alfredo and Germont play out their drama.
The Turn of the Screw was not shot in an Edwardian country house but we created a world of ghosts, Suffolk reed beds and decaying English schoolrooms. So, this is not naturalism, our La Traviata is not exactly set in 19th century Paris: we shot this film in the English countryside and in the beautiful, dilapidated splendour of the Grange in Hampshire.
Tom Piper has again designed our set and Rosalind Ebbutt our costumes. Richard Hetherington is conducting and we were joined by Etta Murfitt and Anjali Mehra as choreographers. We direct and produce.
Photograph by Stephen Berkeley-White
The Cast
| Susana Gaspar |
Violetta |
| Thomas Elwin | Alfredo |
| Roderick Williams | Germont |
| Matthew McKinney | Gastone |
| Katie Bray | Flora |
| Smelo Mahlangu | Marquis |
| Grant Doyle | Barone |
| Chuma Sijeqa | Doctor |
| Fiona Kimm | Annina |
| Thankdo Mjandana | Giuseppe |
| John Mackenzie-lavansch | Messenger and Servant |
This is Roderick’s role debut as Germont. We are thrilled that Matthew McKinney recently won the Kathleen Ferrier Award
In Rehearsal
We rehearsed for 6 weeks in London with the full cast and dancers in preparation for the shoot.
Photographs by Elsa Pearl
On Set
Behind the scenes shots of our 3 weeks at the Grange. We recorded the vocals live on set so that the performers can give a totally organic performance.
Photographs by Stephen Berkeley-White
The Film
We shot the film at the Grange in Hampshire. The dilapidated grandeur and charm of the house perfectly suited our vision and the whole of Act 2 Scene i, was shot outside. Then it was off to Glasgow to record the score with members of the Royal National Scottish Orchestra.
