La Traviata is the
chestnut opera at the Glimmerglass Festival this year and Francesca Zambello
delivers a stunning production. It is vocally and scenically splendid and shows
original thinking by Zambello.
This Traviata opens in a
palliative ward of a hospital. During the overture, one woman dies and another
is being comforted by a visitor and appears to be on the verge of dying. As the
overture ends, she gets out of bed and tosses her hospital gown away showing
that she is dressed for a party. The lights and the background change, the hospital
furniture is quickly removed and we are in Violetta’s sumptuous apartment where
an elegant party is in progress.
(From left) Kang Wang as Alfredo, Amanda Woodbury as Violetta, Wm. Clay Thompson as
Doctor Grenvil, Bryn Holdsworth as Annina and Adrian Timpau as Germont.
Photo: Karli Cadel/The Glimmerglass Festival
Violetta may be suffering from
consumption but she still has the strength to sing, fall in love, sacrifice all
and in the hands of soprano Amanda Woodbury give an outstanding performance. The
young soprano has a clarion voice that she uses with assurance and shows superb
virtuosity throughout her performance.
She falls deliciously in love
with Alfredo Germont, shows nobility in her encounter with his father and is
extraordinarily moving during her death scene. A signature performance.
Tenor Kang Wang sings a terrific
Alfredo. He starts reluctantly when asked to make a toast with “Libiamo” and
then unleashes his considerable vocal power. Conductor Joseph Colaneri does not
rush him through his arias but lets him (and us) relish his marvelous midrange
and ascend to his high notes with ease.
Baritone Adrian Timpau sings the
role of Giorgio Germont, the father of Alfredo, who initially looks with
contempt at Violetta but gains an understanding of her honorable nature and we
realize that he is a man of compassion and decency. The young baritone has a
commanding stage presence as he tries to convince Violetta to give up the man
she loves. His commanding and resonant voice go well with his mission and we
get a stellar performance. I need hardly add that he excels in the delivery of
the great “Di Provenza il mar” aria that everyone anticipates to bring the
house down.
The rest of the relatively minor
roles are handled very well by members of the Glimmerglass’s Young Artists
Program. Joseph Colaneri conducts The Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra and
Chorus in flawless performances.
Peter J. Davison’s set designs
are fluid and effective. The scene in Violetta’s apartment, as I said, appears
posh and there are dining tables. All is moved out quickly for the rural scene
outside Paris. In case someone did not get the message, a hunting dog comes on
stage (and takes a tail wag at the end to tumultuous applause). Lighting
changes, furniture re-arrangement and a gambling table give us the penultimate
scene until we return to the hospital.
Having Violetta on her death bed
in the opening scene was tried by Michael Mayer in last year’s production at
the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Mayer had a few other ideas up his sleeve
and the production got mixed reviews. Zambello’s idea is more refined and works
much better. She does not add characters to the opera as did Mayer and showing Violetta
in the hospital in the opening scene and at the end is effective and extremely
moving.
An extraordinary production.
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi is being
performed twelve times between July 7 and August 24, 2019 at the Alice Busch
Opera Theater, Cooperstown, New York. Tickets and information (607) 547-0700 or
www.glimmerglass.org
James Karas is the Senior Editor - Culture of The Greek Press. www.greekpress.ca
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