At the Metropolitan Opera in New York, an exhibition by the artist Aliza Nisenbaum has opened. Among the paintings displayed at the MetOpera is the Albanian soprano, Ermonela Jaho.
“I am honored to be part of the exhibition, in the challenging and meaningful role of Violetta. Thanks to the artist and the theater for this special celebration of my 310th Violetta, the character that introduced me to the wonderful world of opera,” wrote soprano Jaho on social media.
This season’s exhibition at the Metropolitan Opera, curated by the director of Gallery Met, Dodie Kazanjian, features four new paintings by Aliza Nisenbaum: portraits of Nadine Sierra, Ermonela Jaho, and Angel Blue, each known for their interpretation of Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata.
The three sopranos are installed in the Grand Tier, and a diptych is installed in the Dress Circle, describing the unseen world behind the scenes: props, costumes, tools, and a variety of people, including stage crews, set designers, makeup artists, and conductors who make a production possible.
For the portraits of the divas, Nisenbaum spent time with each during costume rehearsals, in their dressing rooms, and later as they prepared to perform. The character of Violetta, a woman full of tension, is considered one of the most challenging roles in opera. Each of the three stars has their own feelings, challenges, and approaches to playing it, reflected in these intimate portraits. Jaho, as indicated by the title of her portrait, has portrayed this character more than 310 times.
Nisenbaum’s latest diptych paintings focus on group portraits. Here, she chose to focus on the larger community of the opera theatre and its backstage world – paying homage to the multitude of people who remain behind the scenes but are crucial to the magic that unfolds every evening for the audience.
