St. Margarethen: La Traviata

A fascinating production of La Traviata formed the 2008 opera season highlight at one of Europe's most important open-air festivals: the Opera Festival St. Margarethen. 

The dazzling production, set in a rustically romantic Roman quarry, was recorded live in July 2008. This video captures the beauty of the open-air production against a stunning backdrop of Austrian mountains. Stage designer Manfred Waba sets the tragic story about the demi-mondaine Violetta Valéry and her admirer Alfredo Germont in an evocative replica of the Parisian Opéra Garnier, with lavish sets and patrons watching from stage boxes. His and Robert Herzl's unique interpretation is intelligent and effective. In the lead roles, Austria's promising opera talent Kristiane Kaiser and Jean-François Borras, a young French tenor, provide for a musically and visually attractive viewing.