March 22, 2006: La Traviata in Zurich

2006-03-22 La Traviata (Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Alfredo Germont = José Cura
Violetta Valèry = Eva Mei
Flora Bervoix = Katharina Peetz
Annina = Kismara Pessatti
Giorgio Germont = Giorgio Zancanaro
Gastone = Miroslav Christoff
Barone Douphal = Gabriel Bermudez
Marquese d Obigny = Pavel Daniluk
Dottor Grenvil = Giuseppe Scorsin
Giuseppe = Noel Vazques
Domestico = Heikki Yrttiaho
Comissionario = Uwe Kosser

Stefano Ranzani, conductor

La Traviata - Verdi
In italienischer Sprache
Zum letzten Mal in dieser Saison
Flimm/Wonder/von Gerkan/Hämmerli/Lühr

Dirigent Stefano Ranzani
Inszenierung Jürgen Flimm
Bühnenbild Erich Wonder
Kostüme Florence von Gerkan
Lichtgestaltung Jakob Schlosstein
Choreinstudierung Jürg Hämmerli
Choreographie Katharina Lühr




This production with its dark walls pretending to be Violetta's party, Flora's house, Violetta and Alfredo country house and Violetta's room was maybe a good idea. Walls could be moved around. But the acting and singing was good. Zancanaro as Giorgio Germont was old and with not so much voice, he crafted his voice well but when his voice was meant to blend well with the others it was often to harsh or too loud, his voice was no longer able to bend and blend in.

Eva Mei as Violetta Valèry was great, very young and beautiful. I thought that sometimes a little more subtleness in acting would have been better. Actually even if Violetta based on Marie Duplessis who died only 25 years old, it would maybe be even better with a more mature Violetta. It is hard to bring depth in this role when one seem always so young, too young as Eva Mei often did. Strange maybe to say that when I found that Eteri Gvazava was a superb Violetta in the La Traviata à Paris 2000. This doesn't mean that I didn't like Eva Mei's Violetta, she was good.

Jose Cura as Alfredo Germont was good in the start and was even better. But it is a hard role to do well, such a well-known opera and not so much to chew on this character. If I found Jose Cura's Alfredo not quite perfect I believe it must have been the director's fault. Or maybe it is just that La Traviata is not my favorite opera, I just love to see Cura in this role. Verona was better, I feel.

Last I will mention the conductor. Stefano Ranzani, not bad. But the orchestra was sometime loud and drowning the singers which was a shame. I believe it was even sometimes too fast. The balance inside the orchestra could be better. Not always should the normal ear hear all the instruments that are playing, sometimes clarity is required but other times not.

The comprimario roles was well done. Dottor Grenvil and Annina was specially good. I missed more personality in Flora.

OD Travel + Photos

January 15, 1993: La Traviata in Bergen

1993-01-15 La Traviata (Verdi), Den Norske Opera in Bergen

Violetta Valéry = Ingjerd Oda Mantor
Flora Bervoix = Torill Eriksen
Alfredo Germont = Kjell Magnus Sandve
Annina = Eva Solheim
Georgio Germont = Trond Halstein Moe
Gaston, Viscomte de Utorires = Mikael Fagerholm
Barone Duphol = Jens Olai Justvik
Marchese d'Obigny = Bjørn Mørch Olsen
Dottore Grenvil = Bjørn Lie-Mansen
Giuseppe, servo di Violetta = Giuseppe Chiarello

Terje Boye Hansen, conductor




I lived in Bergen at this time. I guess it was an OK opera night
First I do not remember if it was January 13, 14, 15.

I was having my second job or was between jobs. Living close to the concert hall (Grieghallen) it was easy to get tickets.

I remember enjoying seeing this opera production again with other singers.

Den Norske Opera, Bergen Grieghallen
Conductor: Terje Boye Hansen
Regie: Jens Christian Ek
Scenography: Madla Bruza
Coreography: Frederic Konrad
Violetta Valéry: Elena Brilova 14/1,16/1
Ingjerd Oda Mantor 15/1
Flora Bervoix: Torill Eriksen
Alfredo Germont: Kjell Magnus Sandve
Annina: Eva Solheim
Georgio Germont: Jan SødaI14/1, 16/1
Trond Halstein Moe 15/1
Gaston, Viscomte de Utorires: Mikael Fagerholm
Barone Duphol: Jens Olai Justvik
Marchese d'Obigny: Bjørn Mørch Olsen
Dottore Grenvil: Bjørn Lie-Mansen
Giuseppe, servo di Violetta: Giuseppe Chiarello
Domestico di Flora: Birger Barring
Commissionario: Roald Nygard

Den Norske Operas Chorus
Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester

OD Travel

December 14, 2002: La Traviata in London

2002-12-14 La Traviata (G. Verdi), Royal Opera House (London)

Violetta Valéry = Inva Mula
Flora Bervoix = Ekaterina Gubanova
Marquis d'Obigny = Graeme Danby
Baron Douphol = Darren Jeffery
Doctor Grenvil = Graeme Broadbent
Gastone de Letorières = Elliot Goldie
Alfredo Germont = Edgaras Montvidas
Annina = Gillian Knight
Giuseppe = Neil Gillespie
Giorgio Germont = Paolo Gavanelli
Messenger = Thomas Barnard
Servant = Jonathan Coad

Paolo Carignani, conductor

Worth hearing for Gavanelli, Carignani and Montvidas
17 Dec 2002 Guardian Unlimited
Youth is wasted on the old
16 Dec 2002 The Times

The Times critized the production, which I truly liked.
Edgaras Montevidas was cited as "one of the best things about the evening" I also found him good, maybe even better in the role than The Times Reviewer Robert Thicknesse, but the criticism on Inva Mula, the Violetta of the evening, who I found nothing less than perfect as singer and actress. He also say that the chorus did not follow the beat of the conductor, I did not hear that, nor that the chorus turned "the two parties into funerals". Truly the parties was like parties, high spirit. (The Times gave 3 stars out of 5)

The Guardian and I agreed on the tenor Edgaras Montvidas:
"His voice, reedy and elegant, is on the small side, though he sings with an instinctive feel for the inner pulse of Verdi's music. He is a convincing actor, too, first approaching Violetta with a combination of gauche desire and the stiff-backed wariness of someone tentatively breaking away from the legacy of a morally rigid upbringing. When he publicly denounces her, he is ambivalent and wretched rather than blind with rage. "
But on Inva Mula, the Albanian soprano I disagree.
"In fact, he is better than Violetta, the Albanian soprano Inva Mula. She can sing and act, though not always at the same time: she delivers the bulk of her vocal utterances straight to the audience, then follows them up with the requisite dramatic gesture aimed at whichever character she is with on stage. She abandons this habit when she gets to the final scenes, by which time one's sympathy is wearing thin. Her voice has a dramatic tang, though she is over-fond of hanging on to high notes, slowing the score whenever she does so. "

About Paolo Gavanelli as Giorgio Germont, I will just say that he is more mellow in tone than Renato Bruson, but this Germont père was not symphatic enough, not even in the last act. His remorse seemed superficial.

BRAVA, Inva Mula!!!

(would have been an absolutely perfect evening, if the people had not coughed so much, I think it must have been 10 or 12 people coughing) Violetta almost didn't have a change against that.

THE ROYAL OPERA

COVENT GARDEN

Music Director Antonio Pappano

Director of Opera Elaine Padmore

presents

LA TRAVIATA

Opera in three acts

Music Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto Francesco Maria Piave

after Alexandre Dumas fils's play La Dame aux camélias

Conductor Paolo Carignani

Original Production Richard Eyre Directed by Daniel Dooner Designs Bob Crowley Director 0f Movement J ane Gibson Lighting Jean KaIman

The Royal Opera Chorus Chorus Director Terry Edwards

The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Concert Master Peter Manning

Saturday 14 December 2002 The 384th performance at the Royal Opera Hause

Sponsored (1994) by The Jean Sainsbury Royal Opera House Fund

LA TRAVIATA

Ladies and gentlemen, friends 0/ Violetta and Flora,

guests, servants

OD Travel

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
If you want to see more photos from my OperaDuets Travels, go to www.operaduetsphotos.com

July 31, 2003: La Traviata in Verona

2003-07-31 La Traviata (G. Verdi), Arena di Verona

Violetta Valéry = Angela Gheorghiu
Flora Bervoix = Milena Josipovic
Annina = Loredana Bigi
Alfredo Germont = José Cura
Giorgio Germont = Ambrogio Maestri
Gastone de Letorières = Mauro Buffoli
Baron Douphol = Graziano Polidori
Marquis of Obigny = Alessandro Calamai
Doctor Grenvil = Enrico Iori
Giuseppe = Mario Guggia

Daniel Oren, conductor

Arena di Verona
31 July 2003 - 21.15



La Traviata Recital


Melodrama in 3 acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave


PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Daniel Oren


CHOREOGRAPHER Maria Grazia Garofoli
CHOIR MASTER Marco Faelli
Director of the Corps de Ballet Maria Grazia Garofoli
Light Designer Paolo Mazzon
Director of stage design Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia


Flora's Servant Angelo Nardinocchi
Commissioner Angelo Nardinocchi

After the wonderful Carmen on July 29th, with the meeting of José Cura backstage, mostly photographing on my part, and a little to drink afterwards in a cafe that was mostly closed, I was not in my hotel until 0315, and did not sleep until 4. And yesterday it was a wonderful luncheon with JCx members, that was nice, but I was tired from the late night, and did not have much energy. And on this day, head-ache from morning to night. My head was only alright when the opera was going on, in the pauses the ache came back again.

How nice that La Traviata's is mostly so complex, that us normal people, have difficulties humming it. Especially is Violetta arias hard to hum.

I really like the scenography for this La Traviata, semi-scenic version, was really full opera, not concert-like at all. Beautiful white was the scenography, enough for all who knows the story, and with Angela Gheorghiu and José Cura in the leads, really a great evening. Ambrogio Maestri, Giorgio Germont, was naturally very welcomed as an Italian between the Rumanian Gheorghiu and the Argentinean Cura. First time for me to see Angela Gheorghiu live. I liked her performance very much, and naturally Cura was great as Alfredo. If only I was closer to the stage.

It was perfect. Only one thing, (I did hear people mention AG is the new Maria (Callas), is the end of the opera when Angela sings the line when she feels a new life and subsequently dies, To hear the word being spoken in Italian gives really a shudder down one's spine. Sung it is nothing.. not even beautiful. Otherwise did Angela Gheorghiu really make a great impression as Violetta Valéry.

José Cura was wonderful as Alfredo Germont, daring and warm and passionate. Sometimes his voice what on the rough edge. But it is only when I think about it, later, that one thinks, ah!, he was tired. But in the performance I did not feel that at all. Wonderful to see José Cura and Angela Gheorghiu backstage, not together, they were apart, but at point I was there, right between the opera-giants,... little me.

OD Travel + Photos

July 23, 2013: La Traviata om Verona

2013-07-23 La Traviata (G. Verdi), Arena di Verona 

Violetta Valéry = Elena Mosuc
Alfredo Germont = Matthew Polenzani
Giorgio Germont = Artur Rucinski
Flora Bervoix = Chiara Fracasso
Annina = Alice Marini
Gastone = Stefano Consolini
Baron Douphol = Federico Longhi
Marchese D'Obigny = Dario Giorgelè
Doctor Grenvil = Victor Garcia Sierra
Giuseppe = Antonio Feltracco
Domestico/Commissionario = Gabriele Ribis

Andrea Battiston, conductor

Director, sets, costumes and lighting designer - Hugo De Ana

Choreography - Leda Lojodice

LA TRAVIATA, Arena di Verona 2013-07-23

Traviata and Trovatore, two of the greatest classics of Opera. And in Verona, finally Regie that is true and real. Hugo de Ana's Traviata had only one fault, in preludio to the opera and the preludio to the last act, he just had to remind us that Violetta is dead and everything is to be told. 3 great frames (like to old paintiings) was the stage. The middle frames was naturally the main stage. But it was still true to the time of Violetta. Loved it, and Elena Mosuc was great as Violetta!!


.OD Travel & Photos
Original blog post

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com If you want to see more photos from my OperaDuets Travels, go to www.operaduetsphotos.com

June 20, 1984: La Traviata in Oslo

1984-06-20 La Traviata (Verdi), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Violetta Valery = Rita Lantieri
Flora Bervoix = Vessa Hanssen
Alfredo Germont = Caj Ehrstedt
Annina = Eva Solheim
George Germont = Knut Skram
Gaston, Vicomte de Letorieres = Tor Gilje
Barone Douphol = Stein-Arild Thorsen
Marchese d'Obigny = Oddbjørn Tennfjord
Dottor Grenvil = Eivind Bøksle
Giuseppe = Leif Sørensen

Zdenko Peharda, conductor



DEN NORSKE OPERA
Wednesday 1984-06-20
LA TRAVIATA
Opera in 4 acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Fr. Maria Piave
Conductor: Zdenko Peharda
Regie: Jens Chr. Ek
Scenography: Madla Bruza
Coreography: Frederic Konrad


kl. 19.30- ca. 22.10

I saw La Traviata for the first time. Dottor Grenvil was sung by Eivind Bøksle, the man who nowadays always presents the operas whenever it is opera on Norwegian Radio.

OD Travel