Season 2024/2025
In setting »La Dame aux Camélias« to music, Verdi explored, in a shockingly direct way, two big themes of the 19th century: prostitution and consumption. Götz Friedrich’s production stresses the futility of Violetta Valéry’s attempt to escape her fate.
Image gallery
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Ruth Tromboukis
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
u. a. Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta Valéry, Gideon Poppe als Gaston, Thomas Lehman als Marquis D'ObignyMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta Valéry, Gideon Poppe als GastonMarcus Lieberenz
Matthew Newlin als Alfredo Germont, Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Matthew Newlin als Alfredo Germont, Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Matthew Newlin als Alfredo Germont, Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta Valéry, Matthew Newlin als Alfredo GermontMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta Valéry, Dong-Hwan Lee als Giorgio GermontMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta Valéry, Dong-Hwan Lee als Giorgio GermontMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta Valéry, Dong-Hwan Lee als Giorgio GermontMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta Valéry, Derek Welton als Baron Douphol, Matthew Newlin als Alfredo GermontMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Matthew Newlin als Alfredo Germont, Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Matthew Newlin als Alfredo Germont, Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
Matthew Newlin als Alfredo Germont, Elena Tsallagova als Violetta ValéryMarcus Lieberenz
- Conductor: Dominic Limburg / Friedrich Praetorius / Giulio Cilona / Vitali Alekseenok
- Director: Götz Friedrich
With
Adela Zaharia / Nina Solodovnikova / Rosa Feola / Elena Tsallagova, Amitai Pati / Attilio Glaser / Andrei Danilov, Markus Brück / Thomas Lehman / Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Karis Tucker / Arianna Manganello a.o.
About the work
Violetta Valery, living in kept splendour at the expense of Baron Douphol, has apparently recovered from a serious illness. To celebrate, she throws a party where she meets and falls for Alfredo Germont. As their love for each other is frowned upon, they set up house outside of Paris.
Alfredo’s father insists that she break with his son in order not to jeopardise the marriage prospects of Alfredo’s sister. Violetta accedes to his wish and cuts off relations. In a showdown at another party Violetta tries to convince Alfredo that she’s in love with the Baron, causing Alfredo to hurl his gambling winnings at her feet, calling them “fees for services rendered”.
Soon afterwards, at the height of the Paris carnival, Violetta is on her deathbed. She receives Alfredo, who has heard from his father her real reason for leaving him. Violetta forgives him, gives him her blessing and dies.
Verdi’s only opera to be set in middle-class circles of mid-nineteenth-century Paris was based on “La dame aux camélias”, an acclaimed novel by Alexandre Dumas fils.
The novel referenced the death of Marie Duplessis, a 23-year-old courtesan, from TB on 3rd February 1847 as the occasion for a critical study of the Parisian demi-monde.
Where Dumas’s main characters form part of a tight social network, Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave eliminate anything that isn’t directly linked to the clashes between Violetta, Alfredo and father, Giorgio Germont.
This drama of interior emotions focuses on the three stations on Violetta’a via: love, renunciation and death.
About the production
Götz Friedrich gave the opera the tragic slant of a requiem by telling Violetta’s story in the form of flashbacks, which begin with the prelude presenting Violetta lying on a white deathbed on a stark stage that resembles a massive tomb.
She rises from the bed (which promptly becomes a chaise longue), pulls on a ballroom gown and turns to receive Paris’s party people disgorging into the room.
The tale is unsentimentally staged, with no hint of trivial directness.
The focus is on the drama’s interiority and the atmosphere of death and doom.
(PLAY IN GERMAN)
Additional information
In Italian with German and English surtitles.
- Melodramma in 3 acts
- Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on the novelle „La dame aux camélias“ by Alexandre Dumas fils
- First performed on 6. March, 1853 in Venice
- Premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 20. November, 1999
Pre-performance lecture (in German): 45 minutes prior to each performance
Participating artists
Dominic Limburg (Musikalische Leitung)
Götz Friedrich (Inszenierung)
Frank Philipp Schlößmann (Bühne)
Klaus Bruns (Kostüme)
Ulrich Niepel (Licht)
Thomas Richter (Chöre)
Klaus Beelitz (Choreographische Mitarbeit)
Adela Zaharia (Violetta Valéry)
Amitai Pati (Alfredo Germont)
Bogdan Baciu (Giorgio Germont)
Karis Tucker (Flora Bervoix)
Alexandra Oomens (Annina)
Chance Jonas-O'Toole (Gaston)
Michael Bachtadze (Baron Douphol)
Stephen Marsh (Marquis D'Obigny)
Gerard Farreras (Doktor Grenvil)
Kangyoon Shine Lee (Giuseppe)
Geon Kim (Ein Bote)
Holger Gerberding (Ein Diener bei Flora)
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Chöre)
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Orchester)
