La traviata - Royal Opera House. May 2010

Richard Eyre’s production of La traviata is so beautiful that it can be watched repeatedly, yet still yield pleasure. Here is a link to my review of the November production with a much stronger cast.  But appearances, however splendid, aren’t quite enough to make a completely satisfying evening. Below is a review of the October production. Please also see "La Traviata and the Credit Crunch"



"For a great many in the audience at the Royal Opera House on this occasion, it probably didn’t matter. Opera going is a great experience and La traviata is great theatre. I’ve never seen so many cameras popping, or people texting on their mobiles, even during the performance. Routine applause, for the sake of applause, deserved or not, inhibiting the flow of the drama. Opera has always been a social experience. Now it’s audience participation.....

"......Dimitri Hvorostovsky’s Germont has vocal authority, honed through experience in the role. Yet, when he sings “Pura siccome un angelo”, his timbre softens and glows. In “Di Provenza il mar”, Hvorostovsky captures the lilting melody so cannily that he creates the impression of a distant, happier world far removed from Parisian artifice. .Hvorostovsky fills the role, not just the costume. His Germont is a fully realized personality, more interesting, perhaps, than his son. Hvorostovsky’s “Dove’e’ mio figlio?” makes the confrontation feel intensely profound, his voice colouring expressively............"

PS A friend went to the second night and said it was much better, the best show of the season, praising Jaho and Pirgu in particular. Must have been First Night Syndrome before.
Read more HERE in Opera Today, with production photos.