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OA TV is a new viewing platform from Opera Australia on Demand. This June sees the digital release of La Traviata, the 2021 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production. Starring leading lady Stacey Alleaume, who is reprising her role as Violetta in Elijah Moshinsky’s production live at Sydney Opera House from 5 – 29th July, we celebrate the iconic La Traviata and find out more about OA TV from esteemed Artistic Director of Opera Australia, Lyndon Terracini.
OA | TV is very exciting for the company as it’s a great way to share our work with audiences beyond those who can physically access the theatre. We hit a million viewing minutes in the first year and have had over 93,000 views so it’s fantastic to see that people do want to engage with opera in this way.
Currently most of the content on OA | TV is a pay-per-view service, featuring a lengthy and varied catalogue of full-length opera productions ranging from the first opera we performed in the Sydney Opera House in 1973 to our 2021 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, La Traviata, which we just launched onto the platform on June 1st. There’s also behind-the-scenes insights and the best of Dame Joan Sutherland’s performances. The In Conversation videos, which are in-depth interviews exploring the lives and work of some of Australia’s most fascinating opera-related figures, are free. Anyone can access all of this content via tv.opera.org.au on your computer.
The idea of OA | TV evolved during the early days of the pandemic as our way of continuing to share our high quality opera performances and insights with our audience. It was created to engage audiences with the art form while we were all stuck in lockdown and hopefully brought joy to people in what was a very trying time. It also expands our reach so everyone across the country can enjoy opera, and some content is available for worldwide access.
We do indeed have an impressive collection and I believe we have something for everyone. The inclusion of historical pieces gives people the rare opportunity to view productions they may have missed seeing in person. I’m pleased to give people this chance. For example, OA | TV allows people to watch performances by the great Dame Joan Sutherland, further extending her legacy. And yes we’ve even included War and Peace, which was the first opera performed at the Sydney Opera House in 1973!
And we’ve just added the 2021 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, which was the reimagined version of La Traviata in which Stacey Alleaume virtually became a star on opening night. (For those who can get to Sydney, come to see Stacey perform the role in the Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre in July 5 – 29 this year.)
The Handa productions are really popular. They are such a unique event, with a setting seen nowhere else in the world, and the addition of Sydney Harbour and the fireworks make each performance purely magical.
Currently the most popular video is the very first Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour we presented in 2012, La Traviata, followed closely by Joan Sutherland’s Merry Widow performed in 1988. In Conversation’s most popular interviews at the moment are the discussions with the incredible Philip Quast and OA’s own stellar soprano Natalie Aroyan.
Our audiences have appreciated the opportunity, expressing their gratitude, for being given these insights as to what goes on behind-the-scenes. There’s a huge amount of work and technical detail involved in putting on an opera, that people don’t know about, so I think it’s inspiring and I’m grateful to all of the amazingly talented people who’ve been willing to share their work on the platform.
Some of the In Conversation interviews also include a once-off performance which makes you feel like you’re watching an intimate performance just for you, all in the comfort of your own home.
It’s been sparking conversations among viewers on our social media platforms as they share their reactions to the performances, along with their praise. Viewers have also been sharing the videos with others, and some reminisce about when they saw various performances in person. The comments are all lovely to read and create a sense of community among viewers and with OA.
We look forward to sharing more productions and hope more people will enjoy OA | TV!
Raise your glass, bat your lashes, it’s Paris in the salons and you’re the life of this party. He’s staring at you, he’s singing for you…Are you tempted?
Violetta wears velvet and lace and drinks only the finest champagne from crystal glasses. Her parties are legendary, her company desired. She’s free and freespirited, living outside society’s bounds, and for the courtesan, it seems like the party will never end. Could a little love really change everything?
La Traviata is so popular because it puts a life we can only dream of on stage, with its risqué glamour, joys and sorrows.
Verdi’s music sings of freedom with flying melodies, makes merry with rousing drinking songs and leaves us with passionate duets between breaking hearts.
This production by Elijah Moshinsky is one of our most successful, featuring lush party scenes in Paris and beautiful autumn afternoons in the countryside.
Lavish sets and exquisite costumes combined with Verdi’s famous score offer the perfect way to experience opera for the first time, or the chance to revisit a favourite with an exciting new cast.
Home-grown talent Stacey Alleaume is rapidly gaining international recognition. Here, she reprises her role as Violetta after a stunning season in Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.
La Traviata at Sydney Opera House runs from 5th July – 4th November 2022. Find out more and book tickets.
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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