Verdi - La Traviata

....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.

Unlike other reviewers, I was put off by the minimalist, sadistic, Euro-trash production. That said, the singing and acting on the part of all three principals is fantastic! So, buy for the music, the acting, and the stars, but be prepared for minimalist sets and unmotivated directorial bits along the way.

Enjoy the music, enjoy the performance, no 19th century opera clishes here, just an amazing performance of Verdi's La Traviata.

Violeta as it was meant to be, this was the first time i saw Anna Netrebko I'm a big fan now, Rolando Villazon i'ts also an amazing tenor, and the chemistry between both lead performers it's incredible.

I also love the minimalistic stage with the giant clock a la Metropolis who resembles the time left to Violeta, gives it a contemporary look and contrast in a very interesting way, the mysterious character who represents the illness of Violeta it's also a semiotic value to this performance.

Be very open minded to this version, and you'll find yourself a gem with this opera.

(by a Japanese girl, 15 y.o.)
This DVD was my first opera DVD and the reason I chose this was I became a fan of Anna whom I found on YouTube lately and this DVD has such good reputations here and there.

As a beginner, I expected a Gorgeous stage set and beautiful costume.
But the stage set is very simple and poor. I was disappointed.
The costume, Anna is wearing simple red dress or white slip and the men are wearing business suits! I was severely disappointed.
I admit I should ask somebody about these things before.

But I was also bewildered by its presentation.
Who is that snowy-haired gentleman always standing at the side of the stage? As long as I read all review here, people don't care or express different understandings. I am not sure what he was meant to be.
There is a man wearing Violetta's red dress at act 3. What does that mean? I don't understand it either. For me, it was only dirty.

At the scene Alfredo was suppose to throw money to Violetta, Alfredo was putting money into Violetta's mouth! I was shocked and frozen. What was the director thinking? Somehow I suspect he did that because it was Netrebko. He wanted to show his power to this new idol singer. He didn't do this if she was Maria Callas, or could he? Man who does such rendition must be hating women somewhere deep in his psyche.

At act 3 there is a scene people wearing same mask and same costume thong into the room. It was so similar to Kate Bush's legendary video "Running up that hill"(1985). It is not fresh at all to repeat the idea existed 20 years ago. More to the point, one studies choreography must have seen her videos. I suspect he copied her idea. Even I noticed, there would be hundreds of people who noticed it either. For people who don't know what I am talking about, you can see on the net. Key word is "Kate bush Running up that hill"

I didn't appreciate this presentation. The stage set was poor. The costume was poor. (It is not innovative. It looked they just did not have budget.) Singers are great. Orchestra is great. Then, CD could be better as I could concentrate music. I can't believe people admire this production. It is my two cents. Thank you for reading<3

If you prefer to see "Traviata" with traditional stage design and costuming, then this is not the production for you. I tend to fall into that category, but unlike the 2004 production from La Fenice which also is contemporary in setting, this 2005 Salzburg production works for me because of the terrific chemistry between the two stars and the way the director allows their relationship to blossom. If you like seeing two lovers light up the screen, this production is not to be missed.

Anna Netrebko has the most remarkable voice - rich, creamy, and dusky. And I love her youthful exuberance. That said, I don't think her interpretation of Violetta is as nuanced and deep as others I've seen (Renee Fleming and Angela Gheorghiu come to mind). But she is young in this production and should only get better in the role.

Rolando Villazon is wonderfully expressive as Alfredo and has a rich tenor voice. He pays careful attention to phrasing which makes his Alfredo sound fresh in interpretation. He does flail around the stage a bit too much (a tendency he has under control in his recent portrayal of Alfredo opposite Renee Fleming). As Germont, Thomas Hampson is a bit stiff in the role; perhaps this results from his trying to play a stern father. It's a shame because he possesses such a rich and powerful baritone voice. I hope he plays the role again on DVD.

Bottom line, don't miss the chance to see this inventive production, featuring two of opera's young superstars.