La traviata

First of all the three principals are faultless.

Ever since the first time I heard Villazon on the radio one became aware of a major tenor talent on the horizon. Everything one hears him sing is imbued with the ability to excite (not necessarily move).The voice and technique are used to stir one's sensibilities into a state of unreason. It is not a gentle response. If you can cope with this ravaging, you will love this man's singing. (he is savagely wonderful as Werther, for example, a sturm and drang hero for whom reason must be banned in favour of self-torment). It is unfortunate that he looks like a Latin version of British comic ikon MR. BEAN. But once he opens his mouth, forget Rowan Atkinson....

Anna Netrebko I think is just generally overrated. In the marketing of this DVD, she is touted as the be-all and end-all of the show, instead of the more deserving Villazon. But, one has to admit, in this production she is perfect. Beautiful as this particular Violetta. Passionate singing and acting in every scene.

Thomas Hampson, an amazing singer and actor, also makes a wonderful job of his role, especially in his Act 2 confrontation with Alfredo (an exhilarating and uneasy marriage between paternal love and the monstrous male need to control someone weaker). The only thing that mars the casting of Hampson as the older Germont is his physical incompatibility with Villazon.

Traditionalists will lament the minimalist sets, the idea of old-man Time and the all invasive Dali-esquire clock, and the chorus of party-goers all frocked in black. But oh how it works!

The emptiness of the stage is the emptiness of Violetta Valery's life. When it is full of people there is only chaos in the activity. This all contributes to how we are made to focus on the bare essentials - the true emotions expressed by the three main characters.

This is my very favourite Traviata film, preferred even over the Stratas/Domingo or Anna Moffo's B&W classic.

Before comparing and contrasting the various productions it is nice to know a little about the story and where we are going. La Traviata means "The fallen Woman." Referring to the main character, Violetta Valery. In this production, played by Anna Netrebko.

La Traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. It is set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on "La Dame aux camélias," which is a play by Alexandre Dumas, of which he adapted from his own 1848 novel. The opera was originally titled "Violetta," after the main character.

I am not a great fan of either modern or minimalist. It did work out well for "Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen - Complete Ring Cycle (Levine / Metropolitan Opera)."

This 7 August 2005 Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg, Austria Festival performance version is not quite as impressive yet still holds your attention and the music is well presented. I used the English subtitles as I only understood about 10% of the words. The subtitle even though in pail yellow still washed out in much of the background.

Anna Netrebko as Violetta Valéry could challenge anyone for the part.

First off, I am glad I watched this production of La Traviata. As long as the performers can carry a tune better than Rosie O'Donnell it is hard to not be moved by such a masterpiece.

And I'm always open to updating productions or remaking classic movies. While some like the original, the Bogart Maltese Falcon is my favorite. I also enjoyed the Mitchum Farewell My Lovely more than the original but not Mitchum's remake of The Big Sleep. But just because an epic work is modernized does not make it improved. Different is not always better.

I understand what the idea was to strip the set of almost all fixtures and make a giant clock the focal point of the stage. But for me it detracts from what the leads are doing. The clock beats us over the head about the theme of Violetta's descent. Anyone that has a passing knowledge of Traviata knows the story and doesn't need a giant clock to know how the story ends. The set seems like something made to impress a bunch of grad school dropouts that meet every evening at the local Starbucks.

I think it was in Gatsby where someone says they always feel more alone in a big crowd. Here, even in her red dress, Violetta seems lost among the mask wearing men at the party. Violetta has to dominate any production of La Traviata and here she seems reduced and trivialized.

That said, Netrebko is a very good Violetta. Her arias at the end of the first act are a highlight of any Traviata and Netrbko doesn't disappoint.

Rolando Villazon turns in the best performance, going from the high of endless devotion to bitter scorn and back to deep love for Violetta.

But I had a hard time ignoring the huge, stark set and when you have singers like Netrebko and Villazon there is no need to upstage their voices.

The trouble with directors or in this case 'stagers', is that they seem unable to leave a good thing alone.

So here we have 'Traviata' which is supposed to show the principal character's opulent living at the one end, and the subsequent squalor at the other. Hence you should have sets - one opulent - the other shabby! Instead, we have a set comprising a sofa, a chair and a clock! For goodness sake, spare us this sort of pretentiousness!

Don't get me wrong - I don't mind updating Operas, or putting them in a modern setting, if it's done well and if it works, but this kind of mistreatment is not necessary or clever and it doesn't work!

I was going to give a rating of only five stars to this, but the singers are superb, and Verdi's music is still wonderful.

For the singers, and for Maestro Verdi six stars - for the production - none!

I am a huge opera fan, and La Traviata has always been a big favourite and certainly in the top 5 of my favourite Verdi operas. When it comes to films/productions I prefer the 1982 and 1968 films and I also love the 1992(with Gruberova, Shicoff and Zancanaro) and 2006 productions.

What I love about La Traviata chiefly are the strongly defined characters, Violetta is a lead character that you will never forget, the heartfelt story and the magnificent music, although people will know Parigi O Cara, Brindisi, the act 1 & 3 prologues, Di Provenza and Sempre Libera, my favourites are Addio Del Passato and especially Ditta Alle Giuvine, and I love the finale to act 2 as well.

This Traviata is very good but not outstanding. I had no problem whatsoever with the more modernised costuming, Netrebko's red dress is stunning and she in it, and while the sets(of a sofa, chair and clock) are limited and not as sumptuous as I have known other Traviatas to be they are decent enough.

The orchestra are superb, playing with real musicality and pathos in the prologues, Ditta Alla Giuvine and Addio Del Passato and Brindisi and Sempre Libera are enough to raise the spirits. Carlo Rizzi's conducting is mostly solid, but the tempo of the final scene plods a little too much for my liking making Violetta's death not as moving as it could have been.

The chorus are very well balanced and animated, the sound is of good quality and the photography is great and serves the singers well particularly Netrebko whose looks show she was made to stand there in front of the camera. The support cast are fine, Flora especially is delightful.

The leads are superb. I am not a fan of Anna Netrebko or Rolando Villazon, though I have nothing really against them, but I do like Thomas Hampson quite a bit.

Anna Netrebko is much better than expected as Violetta. She is a stunningly beautiful woman, she is a good actress and she has a great voice, however her diction is less than perfect and I have had reservations about her colouratura before having never liked her high E flats, finding they sound almost a semitone too flat. However, her colouratura here is a little more secure, and she sings very musically and movingly.

I was also impressed with Rolando Villazon. Here he shys away from his manic Mr Bean-like persona and shows an Alfredo that is dashing, poignant and somewhat bitter too. He certainly looks the part, he does have an appealing tenor voice and his chemistry with Netrebko and his reaction to Violetta's death are genuine. He also sings Lunge Da Lei very well.

Thomas Hampson's Germont is sympathetic, stern, distinguished and even overbearing. His chemistry with Netrebko and Villazon is notable, he is a gifted actor, his Di Provenza is intelligently phrased and Ditta Alla Giuvine is for me one of this Traviata's highlights.

In conclusion, I really liked this Traviata but I wanted to love it more than I did. 8/10 Bethany Cox