Verdi: La Traviata (Special Edition with Highlights CD)
by Humphrey Burton, Peter Maniura
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo, Gillian Knight, Leah-Marian Jones, Leo NucciDirector: Humphrey Burton, Peter Maniura
Brand: Universal Studios
Editor: Steve Eveleigh
Producer: Jan Younghusband
Producer: Jane Pleydell-Bouverie
Producer: Stephany Marks
Writer: Francesco Maria Piave
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Decca
Movie Reviews of Verdi: La Traviata (Special Edition with Highlights CD)
Movie Review: Unparalleled beauty
Summary: 5 Stars
If there were to be a single performance of Verdi's masterpiece "La traviata" on one's dvd shelf, this is it. Written at the height of his creative powers, it remains a staple in the repretoire of any respectable opera house.
Covent Garden rightly decided to downscale the sets to draw the focus on the main characters (with the exception of the third act, which accommodates for the large crowd). It is, as the editorial review dictates, unspectacular. There is no question that this production relies solely on the drama inherent in the music to drive the performance.
Angela Gheorghiu is easily this generation's most captivating soprano. She sings with a confidence and clarity in the upper register that few can boast, and a warm, luscious low register. Her phrasing is intelligent, always conscious of her place in the score. With superb acting skills to boot, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her Violetta is elegant, full of poise and strong integrity (odd, given the nature of the character's reputation as a courtesan), while at the same time vulnerable and sincere in her love for Alfredo. Her rendition of 'sempre libera' is so exhilirating, it will leave one gasping for air.
Frank Lopardo wouldn't be my first choice for Alfredo. He lacks the vocal splendor and prowess of his betters, tending to sound uncomfortably forced in the upper tessitura. Both he and Gheorghiu make a handsome couple, and his fiery denunciation of Violetta toward the end of act three is surprisingly cold and menacing. It's just a shame he doesn't have the voice to back it up. Leo Nucci is Leo Nucci. There are definitely better Germonts out there, but his Italianate sense of authority brings an authenticity to a mostly non-Italian cast (I think I'm quoting the leaflet here, but it's true!).
While Gheorghiu sparkles in this production, the true hero is undoubtedly Sir Georg Solti. The maestro conducts this piece with a delicate touch that is rare even for him. His London players give their all, achieving superb levels of nuance. By producing an eerily 'empty' sound, they brought a sense of unfulfillable longing in the prelude, echoing Violetta's ill-fated romance. While most of Verdi's works are typically laced with doom laden overtones, here it is absent. This is possibly the most intimate of his operas, and Solti's extensive operatic experience shines through with his probing and surprisingly revelatory reading of the score which wrenches the heart through to it's climactic end. When you take his theatrical, and often bombastic approach out of the equation, one is left with a rare, unparalleled beauty that is more than just noteworthy... it's miraculous.
Summary of Verdi: La Traviata (Special Edition with Highlights CD)
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