United Kingdom Verdi, La traviata: Soloists, Refrain and Orchestra of the Royal Opera Home / Antonello Manacorda (conductor). Broadcast reside (directed by Ian Russell) from the Royal Opera Home, Covent Backyard, to Cineworld Basildon, Essex, 14.1.2026. (JPr)
La traviata is the near-perfect automobile for 3 singing ‘stars’ and if it will get them audiences will come again and again to listen to it – even in an growing older manufacturing: that is one thing The Royal Opera has realised with the very frequent revivals of Sir Richard Eyre’s 1994 manufacturing. Nevertheless, it’s more and more one thing of a priority that the ‘stars’ it requires are one thing of an endangered species or, on the very least, can not all the time be persuaded to look in London. However, there are three completely different casts of principal singers throughout this present run of performances.
Verdi wrote his greatest operas in two durations of his life – the center years produced Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata, and the latter years produced Aida, Otello and Falstaff. He was on the peak of his powers when he composed La traviata for Venice’s Teatro La Fenice in 1853 and the dramatic construction of the opera is sort of excellent with few of the longueurs of a few of his subsequent works. The primary act recounts the attraction of Violetta, a consumptive courtesan, for a penniless aristocrat Alfredo Germont; in Act II there may be the confrontation between Violetta and Alfredo’s father who calls for she abandons her scandalous liaison along with his son; and that is adopted by Alfredo denouncing Violetta at her pal Flora’s social gathering – which admittedly is initially held up by some gypsies and bullfighting nonsense – earlier than a closing act displaying their reconciliation lower quick by Violetta’s dramatic loss of life from TB.
Eyre’s staging – it was his very first opera – is now effectively recreated by Simon Iorio: it’s over three many years previous, and I used to be there in 1994 when it was first on and Sir Georg Solti carried out Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo and Leo Nucci within the main roles. I’ve returned to the manufacturing a number of occasions since throughout the intervening years, probably when ‘stars’ genuinely have been ‘stars’. Apparently, Solti’s singular demand of designer Bob Crowley was ‘I would like huge frocks’ and his monumental units and luxurious costumes – apparently there are over 2000 for the present revival – assist to supply an atmospheric, easy, uncontroversial framing for the unfolding tragedy.
Every part is solidly three-dimensional – and probably relatively unwieldy – which means it’s all longer than it want be with its two extended intervals. Violetta’s Act I salon may be very opulent with an ice sculpture centrepiece and all of the gold glitter, but it has all the time appeared relatively overpopulated with all of the social gathering visitors on the stage. As compared, Violetta’s nation home with work propped up in opposition to the wall and able to be bought clearly illustrates her monetary plight. Later, a sparsely furnished bed room in Act III with massive, shuttered home windows and an enormous, dilapidated mirror (wherein Violetta can not bear to see herself but sees visions of previous occasions) ‘mirrors’ her decline completely. Solely Act II Scene 2 with the visitors partying round an over-sized inexperienced baize playing desk full with big overhead gentle and semi-circular ‘bullring’ for the gypsy entertainers, is relatively incongruous. This relatively diminishes the depth of the Violetta/Alfredo confrontation, even when it’s a spectacular setting for the showstopping mock- matadors, bulls and gypsies.
Ermonela Jaho first sang Violetta at Covent Backyard in 2008, stepping in on the final second for Anna Netrebko and apparently has sung the position over 300 occasions in her profession to date. With respect, time has appeared to have taken its toll and it was considerably clear that – as she admitted herself in a filmed interview – she finds singing Violetta ‘difficult’ now she is extra skilled (her time period for ‘previous’). From the beginning every little thing certainly appeared a ‘problem’ for Jaho, and it was as if she didn’t fully belief her approach, excessive notes have been a bit shouty and through ‘È strano! … Ah, fors’ è lui’ and ‘Sempra libera’ she was cupping her ear for assist with pitching her notes and singing into the surroundings maybe to assist her sound carry by to the viewers. It was inconceivable to really feel a lot sympathy for Jaho’s ailing Violetta who appeared fatally doomed from the beginning, and her appearing grew to become more and more histrionic throughout the three acts (as seen in Ian Russell’s frequent close-ups for the display) maybe to compensate for some vocal unease.
It ought to have been a beautiful night and what went flawed shouldn’t be straightforward to elucidate. Definitely, there isn’t a blame attaching to conductor Antonello Manacorda who as soon as handed the shimmering violins of the prelude (impressed absolutely by Wagner’s Lohengrin?) eschewed bathos, conducting with full understanding of dramatic pacing and inspiring his wonderful orchestra to carry the opera to actual emotional life. Solely very sometimes did I think Manacorda was unwilling to offer Jaho the tempo she needed.
Her Alfredo was younger Italian tenor Giovanni Sala, whose voice was lyrical and brilliant, but there may be a lot Mozart in his repertoire and Sala sounded extra a Mozart tenor than a Verdi one. La traviata is probably not a full-blown verismo opera nevertheless it does have some moments when a extra dramatic sound is beneficial – particularly in Act II with ‘De’ miei bollenti spiriti’ and ‘O mio rimorso!’ – and right here Sala was, for me, relatively underwhelming. Sala is tallish and gangly and there was little of the sexual chemistry an important Violetta and Alfredo pairing would possibly show.
Ought to Germont père be something apart from a relatively one-dimensional character, I feel so. Some have positively introduced extra depth and motivation than Aleksei Isaev – an undoubtedly Russian-sounding baritone – delivered to the character right here. It would as nicely have been a live performance efficiency when Isaev sang his Act II ‘Pura siccome un angelo’ and ‘Di Provenza il mar, il suol’ with a sure sangfroid and standing largely inventory nonetheless.
Present Jette Parker Artists made up a lot of the remaining forged who did nicely with what little Verdi provides them: Ellen Pearson, sang Flora and Sam Hird (Baron Douphol), Giorgi Guliashvili (Gaston) and Ossian Huskinson (Marquis d’Obigny) have been all solidly sung vignettes; as have been Barnaby Rea as Physician Grenvil and Veena Akama-Makia (a former Jette Parker Artist) as Annina. Regardless of some undoubtably dependable performances – and never forgetting the all the time reliable refrain – total this La traviata revival lacked a compelling frisson which may have elevated it from simply an okay one to one thing extra memorable.
Jim Pritchard
Featured Picture: Sir Richard Eyre’s La traviata Act I – Ermonela Jaho (centre, Violetta) © Pamela Raith
Forged:
Violetta Valéry – Ermonela Jaho
Alfredo Germont – Giovanni Sala
Giorgio Germont – Aleksei Isaev
Annina – Veena Akama-Makia
Physician Grenvil – Barnaby Rea
Flora Bervoix – Ellen Pearson
Baron Douphol – Sam Hird
Gastone de Letorières – Giorgi Guliashvili
Marquis D’Obigny – Ossian Huskinson
Giuseppe – Andrew Macnair
Messenger – Thomas Barnard
Servant – Eugene Dillon-Hooper
Flowergirl – Saskia Cheetham
Manufacturing
Director – Sir Richard Eyre
Revival Director – Simon Iorio
Set designs – Bob Crowley
Lighting design – Jean Kalman
Director of motion – Jane Gibson
Refrain director – William Spaulding
