OH! La Traviata and VIVA VERDI!

Well, we finally managed to see this opera.
2013 IS a celebration year of Verdi , everywhere. We saw Oberto in Milan earlier.

Opera in the Heights presented a version of La Traviata set in 2013 complete with iPad or equivalent. In today's dresses and suits.

Our cast in today's matinee (why matinee for an afternoon performance-that has puzzled me for awhile) was well matched vocally, IMO.

Julia Ebner sang Violetta movingly.  And reminded me of another opera icon.. in the video clip below: Maria Callas.

I have seen this opera multiple times, and yet, her singing and acting still brought not a few tears to my eyes.

Alfredo was tenor Christopher Trapani, with a pretty big voice although once or twice he didn' t quite manage the upper reaches. Overall he had Alfredo down pat.  A very youthful Domingo as Alfredo below:

 

His Papa, Giorgio Germont, was sung with a voice of strong, yet mellow, baritonal heft by Robert Aaron Taylor (sometimes also listed as a bass-baritone), and - while not quite as lyrical as it could have been, his solo  Di provenca.. was sung with deep feeling. Here Dmitri Hvrostovsky in concert.

 

Daymon Passmore, a Heights regular, was a debonair Barone, the off and on protector of Violetta. Sadly, there were few moments to enjoy his huge deep bass in a solo.

 

4 Chorus ladies as gypsies danced, and sang, their way into the hearts of the audience, while tenor Gerardo Nunez made a dashing matador ;-).

Photo by Gwen Juarez Turner

Accompanied by his attendants,

one in purple traje de luces (which really caught my eye ;-), Rojan Easo, also a tenor.

 

Megan Bertl as Flora and Maxim Bitner as Marchese, made a well-matched vocally, suitably interesting couple.

 

Lisa Borik, soprano, made her debut at OH as a modern Annina, more friend than maid.

 

I am sad to report that this afternoon was THE last performance.

 

A powerful production, beautifully sung, accompanied by an orchestra that out did itself, under the enthusiastic, authoritarian,  and - yes, lovingly - wielded baton of Maestro Carreon-Robledo.

 

A BRAVO to Opera in the Heights.