Korngold: Violanta

Korngold's Violanta astonished the world when it was premiered in 1916, and not merely because the composer was just 17 years old. This tale of vengeance and forbidden passion in renaissance Venice is late-Romantic opera at its sumptuous, red-blooded peak; a drama that grips at the heart, set to music drenched in dark emotions and iridescent colours, and Pier-Luigi Pizzi's 2020 production for the Teatro Regio di Torino drives straight for its heart. Annemarie Kremer is formidable in the title role, while updated costumes and striking abstract designs help recreate the full, intoxicating impact of one of 20th-century opera's most unexpected masterpieces.