Verdi rethought
Giuseppe Verdi's famous opera takes sides and gives the outlaw courtesan Violetta Valery the most touching voice in music history. La Traviata tells of social intolerance and an impossible love. In the Silbersaal, this story is now placed in a contemporary context and the queer counter-tenor Uri Elkayam is cast in the leading role.
An (un)possible love
La Traviata tells the love story between the outlaw courtesan Violetta Valery and the aristocrat Alfred. As they are not tolerated by society, they leave everything behind to find happiness together in the countryside. At the insistence of her father-in-law and knowing that she will soon die of tuberculosis, Violetta separates from Alfred. At a party, Alfredo confronts Violetta and suspects an affair with Baron Douphol. A duel ensues and Alfred flees abroad. On Violetta's deathbed, the lovers are reconciled.
Opera Incognita now rethinks this story in a contemporary way. With the casting of Violetta Valery by the counter-tenor Uri Elkayam, the first "queer" Traviata of musical theater is presented. A love story defying all social conventions, it is at once quirky and topical, tragic and sensual.
Sensual accompaniment
The four opera singers and one opera singer are musically accompanied by a quartet. Violin (Annika Elsässer), clarinet (Gabi Oder), double bass (Daniel Matthewes) and piano (Ernst Bartmann) replace the otherwise brilliant Verdi orchestra and thus create a sensual framework in which the strong-voiced characters can unfold.
