蜜芽传媒

The singers of Opera Holland Park and the City of London Sinfonia invite us to eavesdrop on rehearsals as they prepare to perform one of Verdi's most popular operas, La Traviata.

Opera is one of the most complex art forms, combining not just music but plot, dialogue and staging. From the initial rehearsals with a piano, through to the first encounter between singers and orchestra, we see how the many complex parts fit together to produce a thrilling theatrical spectacle. La Traviata's story of a "fallen woman", doomed to die, and required to sacrifice herself to protect the reputation of a bourgeois family, presents challenges for a 21st century audience - how does a director keep it fresh?

We hear from soprano Alison Langer, tenor Matteo Desole, baritone Michel de Souza, conductor Matthew Kofi Waldren and director Rodula Gaitanou.

Produced by Jolyon Jenkins for for 蜜芽传媒 Audio Wales and West