Tentative "Traviata" twitterings

Angela Gheorghiu as Violetta in Act III (or as the Met plays it, Act II, Scene II) of La Traviata.

Since I intend to see virtually all the performances of La Traviata starring Angela Gheorghiu (and possibly the February 23 performance with Mary Dunleavy as well), I have decided to wait until the end of the run to do a full and comprehensive review. This probably means after February 27, since her last performance, on March 3, is a Friday night - and I don't think I'm interested enough in seeing José Luis Duval, the second-cast tenor, to violate Shabbat (1).

But right now, I have to say that at last, at last, we have the real thing as Violetta. Angela was just glorious. I can't quite say seeing her portrayal last night was worth the 8 year wait - since I firmly believe that her previous absence from this production was due to backstage skullduggery at the Met and not her (or Roberto's) "whims" or "difficulty" - but it was easily her greatest triumph here (2). Never have I seen a more beautifully sung, physically expressive, deeply felt, emotionally moving Violetta. If anything, her portrayal reminded me of Ferruccio Furlanetto's equally stunning King Phillip last season - so full of subtlety and nuance that someone who wasn't sitting very close or didn't have a good pair of binoculars might not even notice the details (3). My criticisms are mostly picky and can wait until later - although I did miss some of the manic energy she showed on the Solti video (with an inferior supporting cast)

This supporting cast was not inferior. Indeed, this was a wonderful ensemble. Jonas Kaufmann made a quite an auspicious Met debut. His voice is a little darker and more baritonal than I would like for Alfredo, but is rich and warm. He flubbed the high C at the end of "O mio rimorso" (slightly flat), but I suspect that may have been due to the weather, and the overall performance was so fine I was more than willing to forgive him. Frankly, I got more pleasure from him than I did from Rolando Villazon in Rigoletto on Wednesday. He's an excellent actor, vocal and physical who had good chemistry with Angela - and (not that it matters all that much?) he looks like a romance novel cover. Or a fairy-tale prince, which should be very appropriate considering next year's Tamino. Pictures will be provided in the full review.

Anthony Michaels-Moore's voice is much bigger than I would think from his Met Silvios and Marcellos, rich, dark, powerful and warm. He brought out Germont's rectitude, authority, sympathy, and eventual self-recrimination. He may yield to Dwayne Croft for subtlety and a clearer arc of the evolution of feeling towards Violetta, but, but is still a fine actor and also had good chemistry with Angela. Based on this, I wouldn't mind hearing him in some of the really big Verdi roles - maybe even Rigoletto.

Due to the talent and charisma of the singers, and the restaging (especially of Act I, "demanded" by Angela) makes a heck of a lot more sense (4). Thanks to this, the characters of the comprimarii - particularly Dr. Grenvil (LeRoy Lehr) and Baron Douphol (John Hancock) - are a lot clearer. Best of the small roles is the vastly underrated Earle Patriarco as the Marquis.

Oh, yes, Angela's new costumes are gorgeous (but lose the fur, please). Now why was she so "difficult" for asking for them when Divine Renee could bring her own with no problem?

This is easily the best Traviata I've ever seen, and can hold its own with some famous recordings. What a shame this wasn't telecast. And since Angela's future plans at the Met, while mostly mouthwatering, do not include Violetta to the best of my knowledge, go and savor this while you have the chance.

(1) Although per the MP3 files on this website, Duval sounds wonderful, if a little too loud in places. There are a few opera arias and Mexican songs, but it's mostly musical theater songs (Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Oklahoma, South Pacific, etc.) sung in Spanish.

(2)Then again, I say that every time Angela unveils a new role at the Met!

(3) And rumor has it that Furlanetto will be singing Jacopo Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra opposite Angela's Amelia next season. Oh, frabjous day!

(4) Unfortunately, that stupid stage elevator in the final act going from Violetta's boudoir to her living room to immense applause, destroying "Addio del passato", is still there!