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| Couch surfing: Marina Poplavskaya in La Traviata Photo by Ken Howard © 2010 Metropolitan Opera |
Verdi's most intimate opera benefits from the Decker approach: a bare, curved, white room set on a steep rake. Its only adornments: a long white bench, the occasional couch, and a gigantic clock, solemnly reminding the viewer that this is an opera about a woman whose time is running out. It is a vast improvement over the pouffes, gilt, and frou-frous that adorned the Met's past two Traviatas. Both were by Franco Zeffirelli. Each recalled the worst excesses of Busby Berkeley and Martha Stewart.
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| Out of time: Marina Poplavskaya in La Traviata. Photo by Ken Howard © 2010 The Metropolitan Opera |
Despite some early problems adjusting her big voice to match the dynamic level of the orchestra, Ms. Poplavskaya settled in and delivered a nuanced portrayal of Violetta. Whirling about the stage in high scarlet pumps and a red dress, she went from being every man's fantasy to every man's victim--a potent interpretation that will resonate in the minds of opera lovers for years to come.
But there is more to this performance than singing coloratura while balancing atop a couch. Ms. Poplavskaya plays Violetta as Verdi intended, capturing every facet of this jewel of a part. She tossed off the fearless fioritura of "Sempre libera" in the first act, moving her big voice with an impressive agility above the stave. As the evening progressed, (and her world collapsed) she seemed to wither away both vocally and physically. Yet her singing did not suffer: she broke hearts with the equally challenging "Addio, del passato" in the final act.
The breaking heart in question, Matthew Polenziani, was an ardent Alfredo, singing with a flood of warm tone. He coped admirably with Mr. Noseda's urgent, spitfire conducting. Alfredo is another victim in this production, of his father's bullying and the mob mentality of the Parisian party scene. The Act III re-staging of the ballet--which featured a male dancer (choreographer Athol Farmer) in Violetta's red dress and the crowd of black-tie revellers charging like a giant bull became a terrifying sequence.
As Germont père, Andrzej Dobber was a brutal figure, most notably when he struck his wayward son across the face in their Act Two confrontation. This Polish baritone took a stark, stern approach to the role that suited Mr. Decker's conception perfectly. Even the old favorite, "Di provenza il mar" sounded vaguely threatening when delivered in his growling voice. Bass Luigi Roni was onstage for most of the opera as Dr. Grenvil, playing Violetta's physician as a specter of impending Death. This, along with the giant, omni-present clock, underlined the mortal nature of La Traviata, elevating the opera to the status of Verdi's greatest tragedy.
2 comments:
I found the current production La Traviata to be theatrically incoherent with directorial conceits such as the presence of the doctor, Alfredo or Violetta in various scenes or the masked crowd contradicting the drama. It is as if the director is saying “you know what this is all about so we won’t insult you by pretending that there is really a dramatic sequence or dramatic logic.” Also, situating the opera in a modern rather than a highly paternalistic society makes it psychologically inconsistent. The crowd scenes were particularly confusing because the conductor chose frenetic tempi. It should be added that listening to the Saturday broadcast was much better without the visual haze.
Linda said
This production is an insult to the sensibilities and authenticity of the period. Those who tout this production as psychologically sound elucidating the nuanced intent of Verdi are so spuriously uninformed and gullible. It is like the "Emperor's New Clothes" where the people were DUPED by thieving tailors into saying that they saw the Emperor's clothes when in fact he was only wearing his underwear. His underwear was "minimalist" as was this production. I feel that I was robbed and was hugely disappointed. My daughter said the best thing about the evening was that the Met's lights move up and down and spending the night with me. By the way, I was a coloratura who studied with Dr. Herman, Roberta Peters' voice teacher before becoming an award winning speech pathologist. Ms. Poplavskaya's pitch was off occasionally. Her voice is pretty but not thrilling. Visually, she was the only ten star part of the performance. She is gorgeous. Her acting was OK.
She should listen to some of the great divas of the past. Her singing has potential, but she has a lot to learn before she can be remotely in the strata of a Sutherland, Peters, Callas, Curtin or Sills.
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