Swiss railway station turns into an opera set – live streaming on swissinfo.ch

Bern, 23 september 2008 On 30 September 2008 the main railway station in Zurich will become the setting for a melodious cultural experience which commuters, onlookers and television audiences at home will all be able to enjoy. The opera "La Traviata" will be broadcast live on SF 1, TSI, HD suisse and Arte simultaneously, starting at 20.05 (18.05 UTC/GMT). Swissinfo and SF will be streaming this major event over the internet.

An opera performance amid throngs of commuters at Zurich’s main station: “La Traviata at Zurich main railway station” is an innovative arts project being produced by Schweizer Fernsehen (SF) in cooperation with the Franco-German culture channel Arte, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and Zurich Opera House.

This production presents a major challenge both artistically and technically, since SF is staging the opera live in various parts of the railway station, including the main concourse, cafés and the platform area. It is only when they reach the screen that the individual scenes will merge together into a single performance. Television audiences at home will have front-row seats.

The ensemble, choir and orchestra of the Zurich Opera House are providing the music, directed by Paolo Carignani. Eva Mei sings the leading role of Violetta, Vittorio Grigolo plays Alfredo and Angelo Veccia appears as Giorgio Germont.


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