Giuseppe Verdi was once asked which of his own operas he liked best. ‘As a professional musician, Rigoletto,’ he replied. ‘But as an dilettante, I would choose La traviata above all.’ La traviata is the most moving, human and strikingly modern not only of Verdi’s operas, but of any from the period - the realist story of a downtrodden female victim of powerful men which hit as many nerves when it was first performed in 1853 as it continues to today.

Much of that is down to Verdi’s unrivalled musical storytelling - from the driving waltzes that propel the score forward with a sense of Parisian excess, to his sympathetic drawing of the opera’s heroine Violetta, the story’s only truly sympathetic human being. As Silvia Camerini has observed, Verdi portrays her ‘with profound subtlety, generosity and love and then tears her apart to the sound of champagne corks popping.’

La traviata

Grieghallen

We meet the charming barber Figaro, who with quick lines and even quicker solutions helps the young Count Almaviva win the heart of the beautiful Rosina. The pace is fast, the melodies are immortal, and laughter is unbridled as disguises, misunderstandings and secret deals become entangled.

This is opera at its most playful - elegant, energetic and irresistibly entertaining. The opera has been an audience favorite since its premiere in the early 19th century, and now gets a whole new twist as comedian, actor, TV personality and director Vidar Magnussen brings the story into his burlesque and not least humorous world. The audience is served poetic slapstick inspired by, amongst others, silent film hero Buster Keaton. This 2027 production will however be faithful to the original storyline The opera is sung in Norwegian, and we can promise that this will be both beautiful and funny.

Rossini's music is bel canto (beautiful singing) at its finest – with long, well-formed vocal lines, captivating arias, ensembles with flair and a refined, lyrical orchestration. The Barber of Seville is the most famous of the composer genius Rossini's many operas.

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

13 - 18 Mar, 2027

The Barber of Seville

14 - 20 Mar, 2025

La traviata

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra