Verdi - La Traviata
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Movie Reviews of Verdi - La Traviata
Movie Review: Comparisons are always 5 Stars
....but at times they can't be avoided. Every new star evokes memories of the past...Anna Netrebko has frequently been compared to Maria Callas, and I will go ahead and provoke the anger of some by stating up front that Anna is better than Callas was the best day she ever saw. Now, I admit that, early in her career, she saw some good days; she had Style, and a fabulous voice. But, defective technique, and bad casting decisions, washed her up well before the age Anna is now. OK. Now I shall approach blasphemy...in Anna's heavier passages, I heard the merest hint of Rosa Ponselle. Anna is no Rosa. God forbid. Rosa was the greatest singer who ever lived. [Flagstad? Different genre]. She did Violetta later in her career; wonderful, naturally, but somehow "sick" and "vulnerable" are not words I associate with her. Soprano roles are varied, and Violetta is a meeting ground...the idea of Anna as Norma is painful, and Rosa as Lucia is laughable. And the the thought of Rosa, or Callas, doing this production is nauseating........Which brings us to the issue at hand. A modern dress production of "La Traviata"? Why not? Opera is entertainment, and the idea is to get an audience to pay money. You always need a fabulous voice for Violetta, and, here, you need a gorgeous girl, too. Anna is PERFECT. She not only sings well, she looks lucious, and displays the full range of Violetta's emotions and conflicts. The red dress, the BIG CLOCK, the Grim Reaper [in the character of Dr. Grenvil]...all fabulous artistic touches. Were the bare feet to show vulnerability, to be sexy, or were the red shoes just uncomfortable? Some of her gyrations stop barely short of indecent, but they do stop. I'll digress back to comparisons; has there ever been a more beautiful Violetta? Absolutely....the late Bidu Sayao. She, for me, remains the ideal Violetta [and Mimi, and Juliette]. Alas, we never got to see her costumed like Anna. I would have stood in an ice storm to see her. Smitten? No doubt.
I've gone out on a limb this whole review; I'll go further....this may be the best "La Traviata" ever assembled. And I did say assembled. Villazon and Thomas Hampson are wonderful beyond words. Yes, there have been better practitioners of the individual parts...Alfredo Kraus, Lawrence Tibbett, Leonard Warren. And I already swooned over Bidu. But this assembly is MAGIC. If you don't believe me [or if the production offends you], try the CD version. You'll HEAR what I mean.
The technical side of this DVD is all we could ask...great sound and video. Carlo Rizzi's conducting, and the Vienna Philharmonic's playing, are standards of perfection. The audience puzzled me....they liked it, naturally, but there was more polite applause than raucous cheering. Well, people are different...a Met audience would have torn down the house. Maybe there's a bit of a New York Mets crowd in a Met audience....I've said enough; if you don't have this, get it. Period.
Movie Review: Beautiful, come to it with an open mind and enjoy
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd read about the stir that this production caused at the 2005 Salzberg Music Festival and I was anxious to see it for myself on DVD. La Traviata has always been one of my favorite operas and while I won't say that any one version is definitive for me, this one is among my favorites.
Even if your not a fan of Anna Netrebko, I'd say watch it. I'm not entirely unbiased because I do like Netrebko. I think she's a gifted vocalist and I think when she plays this particular role she really owns it. No, she's not "the next Callas". I don't think there will ever be another Callas, but that's no reason why we can't appriciate her on her own terms. Anna Netrebko's strengths are her acting ability, her lusterous dark tones, and her ability to go quiet on certain notes and still make them extremely resonant and powerful. She's gorgeous obviously, so it's not too much of a stretch to imagine men falling over themselves for her. And she and Rolando Villazon have a wonderful chemisry. His tenor blends beautifully with her soprano. Each one seems to feed off of the other's performance.
But to me the best part was actually the design. It opens on the party scene but the stage is naked except for a sofa the color of Violetta's dress. There's a giant clock in the corner that reminds Violetta of her mortality even at her most festive moments (and if that weren't enough Death himself is always hanging around-though at the end of the first act Violetta gulps down some champagne and then throws her glass at him!) Violetta and Alfredo's love nest also has spare scenery except tha furnature is draped in a floral cloth that matches their robes. When Violetta promises Germont that she'll sacrafice her love for Alfredo she pulls the cloths from the furnature as she sings. The furnature is left a sterile white. Then she changes back to her dress from the first act amidst these blank surroundings. Combined with the music the effect is haunting.
I think the test of a performance is if it makes me feel. The greatest singing in the world is meaningless if it doesn't produce and kind of emotion in the listener. In this production all of the elements really came together and made me cry. I don't know how much of that was Anna Netrebko's "star" power because I felt it in scenes that she wasn't even in. I think it was just all of the elements of a production working and coming together in the right way.
Movie Review: Fun, sexy, updated, widescreen.
Summary: 5 Stars
Recorded live at the Salzburg Festival in 2005 this 2-DVD Premium Edition of Verdi's "La Traviata", featuring Carlo Rizzi, directing the Wiener Philharmoniker, is a treasure in every way a great opera and great production (staged by Willy Decker and Directed by Brian Large) can be. Filmed in widescreen and recorded for digital sound, every visual and audio advantage that could be given to the cast was offered, including an interesting use of a single set (picture a cinemascope screen and walls lit in soft white or blue) with an occasional tapestry covered couch or two to contrast color against the black and white unisex suits worn by the chorus, and red dresses and robe of Ms. Netrebko. It's not necessary to dwell on the voices of the stars, suffice so say that the performances were lively and vibrant, filled with easy passion and an obvious affection and chemistry that clearly exists between Villazón and Netrebko. This is a sensuous, minimalist production of "Traviata" that obviously exploits the sex appeal of Ms. Netrebko and exuberant vitality of Mr. Villazón who does justice to those scenes that require he cavort around in little more than a pair of shorts. For this Premium Edition, the full opera is contained on a single disk; the second disc is reserved for some extras, one of which stands on its own for its sheer enjoyment: "The Making of . . . video." This alone is worth the cost of the set because it captured the stars and supporting cast in rehearsal, joking, interacting - and in one particularly funny scene, having Ms. Netrebko lecture Villazon that he uses his hands too much when he sings as she stands behind him pressing his hands behind his back, and using her own arms, under his, to gesture the way she thinks he looks. This was a laugh out loud moment because her feminine gestures are so clearly at odds with his male persona. To warm up to this production you might even want to view the "making of" first to understand what it is you will see and why it is staged as it is. This 2-DVD set is a clear "must own" because it gives us an updated and far sexier "La Traviata" than we are accustomed to seeing, and because the music, both vocally and orchestral, comes across so beautifully. A revjeiw from OperaOnline.us.Movie Review: Music and theatric symbolism create a unique Traviata
Summary: 5 Stars
The publicity and hype that accompanied this production of Traviata, along with some less than favorable reviews, made me ignore it until quite recently. When I finally bought this DVD, I was absolutely stunned by its emotional power and impact.
A drama is unfolding in front of us, with the omnipresent Fate (or perhaps Death?) confronting the heroine sentenced to permanent stage presence, on the stage of her life that is running out too fast. She must face the large wall clock whose time is accelerating her to untimely death. What time is it? We never exactly know, but certainly we feel that it is too late, far too late for everything, for love and happiness, and for normal life... Just before her death, the Fate becomes her doctor, only to tell that she has but a few hours to live. The minimalistic approach, the stark empty stage with its clock and with the red or white sofa, combined with the outstanding singing and acting by the principals (especially by Anna and Rolando), creates the most powerful and unique experience I have ever seen in an Opera. The musical and emotional impact of this production is totally unique and unforgettable.
I am unable to add anything novel or original to the existing descriptions of the unique dark timbre and exceptional beauty of Anna's voice. It grew onto me slowly but steadily until she won me over completely, especially by her recent recordings including the Russian album, the Souvenirs, the Manon (also with Villazon), and I Capuletti e i Montecchi (with Elina Garanca). Anna sings gorgeously and seemingly effortlessly in almost any body position, something quite unseen before. Currently there seem to be no limit whatsoever to what she could do. Fortunately she is sufficiently different from the other leading contemporary sopranos, especially from Angela Gheorghiu (my other favorite), that there is no real competition there. Anna's voice blends especially well with the mezzo voice of Elina Garanca, and I am very much looking forward to their future joint productions.
Movie Review: "La Traviata" seduces and captivates
Summary: 5 Stars
Anna Netrebko delivers a sexy, sizzling performance as the courtesan, Violetta. Not only can this acclaimed Russian Diva sing but we now learn she can act. She is both beguiling and captivating as she succumbs to the ardent overtures of her lover, Alfredo charecterized skillfully and convincingly by the Mexican born tenor, Rolando Villazon.
One can audibly hear the smacking of lips as the two lovers come together in passionate embrace. There is no holding back in this daring production as we see Netrebko lasciviously entice Villazon by lying on her back upon a sumptuous sofa, one leg bent and teasingly drawing back her brilliant red skirt to expose a shapely upper thigh.
Certainly it is one of the great contemporary productions noted for its stark minimalist set as staged by Willy Decker. There is symbolism aplenty however as the hands of the giant clock turn feverishly and unrelentingly to illustrate that Violetta's inevitable death is imminent.
Not only are Netrebko and Villazon perfectly cast but the admired American baritone, Thomas Hampson delivers a superb performance as Alfredo's anguished father, Giorgio.
Decker's production is unflinching and uncompromising as the human pathos unwinds with true love being found and lost in a heart rending climax.
To top it all Carlo Rizzi conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra so masterfully prompting riotous acclaim from the audience not seen since his great pre-decessor, Herbert von Karajan.
For opera buffs this is a "must have" and for opera novices or initiates do yourself a favor, take some time out, sit down and be entranced as the essence of this human tragedy is revealed.
If this courtesan, "La Traviata" does not seduce you, nothing will!!