Verdi - La Traviata (Paolo Arrivabeni, Cinzia Forte) [2009]

In spite of the atrocious costumes of Kaat Tilley and the ghastly sets of Edoardo Sanchi, this was an excellent La Traviata. Really, Alfredo wore the same optical sharkskin suit through the entire production. His father–and most of the other male roles and choristers–wore ghoulish makeup and a hideous suit with a vampiric collar. What era this was supposed to be is anyone's guess…maybe it's set in another dimension. That would explain a lot.
Aside from the staging issues, the singing and acting of Cinzia Forte as Violetta was excellent and probably helped carry everyone else along. Tenor Saimir Pirgu was a pretty fine Giorgio Germont and he gets second place for acting. Giovanni Meoni, who played Giorgio Germont, the meddling father, was an excellent singer, but stiff as a board in his delivery. Chris De Moor as the baron is most memorable for his ghastly makeup and attire. Same comment for Flora, played by Tineke Van Ingelgem. The chorus sang beautifully. At the party where the gypsies and bullfighters appear there was the nowadays usual wardrobe malfunction leaving one woman briefly topless–as if this opera needed something risque.

By P. Sutherland (Berea, Ohio, USA)

Performer:
Violetta Valéry - Cinzia Forte
Flora Bervoix - Tineke Van Ingelgem
Annina - Federica Carnevale
Alfredo Germont - Saimir Pirgu
Giorgio Germont - Giovanni Meoni
Gastone di Letorières - Cristiano Cremonini
Barone Douphol - Chris De Moor
Marchese d’Obigny - Patrick Delcour
Dottor Grenvil - Lorenzo Muzzi
Orchestra and Chorus ORW
Conductor - Paolo Arrivabeni

VGLTPA