Highlights from Verdi's La Traviata

For the opening of the 2025 season of the Globe Sunday Matinee concerts there is a treat for lovers of fine singing with a concert performance of highlights of Verdi’s masterpiece La Traviata, one of the most often performed operas and particularly notable for its wealth of melody and its heart-felt musicality. It does however require outstanding soloists for its three lead roles. First, there is the courtesan Violetta who is all the time surrounded by her friends and her wealthy clients, all of whom are intent on pleasure, which she, although dying of tuberculosis, tries to join in. Second there is Alfredo Germont who has fallen in love with her and successfully persuades her to return his love and abandon her glittery life for something real. Finally, there is Alfred’s father who puts pressure on Violetta to abandon what has become a blissful relationship with Alfredo, but which has become an impediment to the normal and happy functioning of the Germont family.

Singing the role of Violetta is Russian soprano Olga Shanina who made Violetta her signature role in St Petersburg, Russia. She performed a critically acclaimed production of La Traviata at the Mussorgsky Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, after which she was invited to join the theatre’s soloist troupe. Over her operatic career she has performed more than 100 productions of the opera. Her repertoire also includes leading roles in Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Bohème, Die Fledermaus, and Carmen. Olga has toured extensively in Japan, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Finland, and across the CIS countries. Since 2020, Olga has been living in Auckland, New Zealand, where she teaches singing and performs in concerts across the country.

New Zealand born international tenor Patrick Power will sing the role of Alfredo. Patrick grew up on a farm in Dannevirke, in a family that had already three generations of professional singers. He has had a distinguished international career, singing some 60 principal tenor roles in nine different languages for the leading opera houses and festivals in 17 different countries. He also sang a great number of oratorio and symphonic works with a bevy of great conductors including Claudio Abbado. He has recorded for Decca, Phillips and CBS Masterworks. He was appointed Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2003 for his services to opera both in New Zealand and internationally.

Local baritone Lindsay Yeo sings the role of Germont. Lindsay has competed successfully at various vocal competitions, and was awarded the Musica Viva Vocal Scholarship in 2014. He has performed as a soloist with a variety of choirs in the Whanganui-Manawatū region, including debut performances of new works, most notably portraying Adam in the world premiere of Samuel Arnolds’ 200-year-old oratorio The Hymn of Adam and Eve. Lindsay lives in Palmerston North with his wife Michaela and three daughters, and works as an educational psychologist for the Ministry of Education.

Providing continuity for the performance will be well-known local personality Ken Benn in the role of Verdi himself. Acting as the orchestra for this performance is pianist Guy Donaldson. Guy is the convenor of the Palmerston North Globe Sunday Matinee concert series, and is very active in the Manawatu as teacher, performer, adjudicator and music coach. He is currently pianist in the Papaioea Piano Trio. On December 3 of this year he was the recipient of a Civic Award for his services to music in Palmerston North over fifty years.

Admission is by donation, recommended from $5.