New opera star Stacey Alleaume lights up stage in La Traviata

Stacey Alleaume dominated the stage from curtain up to tragic conclusion as the doomed heroine in Verdi’s La Traviata.

Stacey Alleaume and Liparat Avetisyan as the tragic lovers in La Traviata. Picture: Jeff Busby

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Stacey Alleaume has come a long way in the past five years, from being a promising member of Opera Australia’s young artists’ program to the accomplished and stellar performer of La Traviata, Verdi’s most appealing and romantic opera.

She dominated the stage from curtain up to tragic conclusion, her vibrant soprano ranging up and down effortlessly as the doomed heroine, Violetta, transforms from vivacious Parisian courtesan to consumptive ruin.

Verdi’s expansive and beautiful score helped, of course, as did the supporting players but the night belonged to Stacey. Clearly, hers is a versatile and well-honed talent.

She first performed the role in 2017, at just four hours’ notice. It was a turning point in her career. Since then she has appeared in Carmen, The Pearl Fishers, Rigoletto and The Merry Widow, among others.

The initially stiff Liparit Avetisyan, as Violetta’s lover Alfredo, found full voice by the middle of Act I, the Armenian’s rich tenor swelling as his confidence grew.

Mario Cassi as Giorgio Germont and Stacey Alleaume as Violetta Valéry in Opera Australia’s 2022 production of La Traviata. Picture: Jeff Busby

The baritone role of Alfredo’s father, Giorgio, is often sought after because it gives performers a chance to explore how much expression and pathos they can inject into Verdi’s music. In this, Italian performer Mario Cassi did not disappoint.

The supporting singers offered solid support, most notably from mezzosoprano Agnes Sarkis, as society hostess Flora, tenor Iain Henderson, as the ingratiating friend Gastone, and baritone Alexander Sefton as the aloof Baron Douphol.

The chorus, led by master Paul Fitzsimon, was outstanding, adding richness to an already glowing musical tapestry, and conductor Renato Palumbo — no stranger to the Sydney Opera House pit — maintained a brisk pace with enough restraint to give the cast breathing space.

Overall, an outstanding production with a talented cast and a luminous Stacey in the central role.

DETAILS

• OPERA: La Traviata

• STARS: Stacey Alleaume, Liparit Avetisyan, Mario Cassi

• AT: Sydney Opera House

• UNTIL: July 29

• BOOKINGS: 9250 7777, www.sydneyoperahouse.com