Verdi - La Traviata / Richard Eyre, Solti, Gheorghiu, Lopardo, Nucci, ROH Covent Garden

Starring:Humphrey Burton, Peter Maniura, Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo, Leo Nucci, Leah-Marian Jones, Gillian Knight, Robin Leggate, Richard Van Allan, Richard Eyre
Director: Roderick Earle, Mark Beesley (II)
Studio: Decca
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Angela Gheorghiu is the definitive Violetta of her generation, the standard-setter against whom all other exponents of this role must be judged for the foreseeable future. Her affinity for Verdi's fragile, gentle-hearted courtesan is rooted in a fine balance of acting and singing skills. She looks right, her body language is eloquent without overstatement, and her voice is limpid, expressive, open to a variety of subtle shadings and used gracefully and intelligently. For this, her first Traviata, Covent Garden put together a production in 1994 that is solid and straightforward but otherwise unspectacular--a fairly subdued background against which her performance stands out all the more clearly. Though lacking the vocal splendor and personal magnetism of Placido Domingo, Frank Lopardo gives a sensitive performance as Alfredo, and Sir Georg Solti paces and accents this performance with a thoughtful subtlety that is relatively rare in his work. The result is deeply satisfying. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Brava Gheorghiu & cast!.......2007-03-25

WOW!!! That's the only word I can say after watching this incredible live version of "La Traviata". So much so that I watched it twice in a row. There have been so many fabulous sopranos singing Violetta - my personal favorite is still Anna Moffo. Unfortunately, the film version starring Moffo is lip-synched and her "Sempre Libera" is untouchable except for Gheorghiu's. For a singer that had never sung this role before, Angela Gheorghiu is magnificent. I admit having heard so much negative press about her had prevented me from expressing an interest in Gheorghiu's musicianship. Her voice is spectacular and she has wonderful dramatic instincts. The costumes and scenery are perfect - ornate but not overdone. She's a beautiful lady too with ravishing black hair. Gheorghiu like Moffo really physically looks like Violetta. Gheorghiu is completely believable - radiant and vulnerable in the first 2 acts and close to death in Act 3. Matter of fact, I thought she looked absolutely horrible in the death scene. Sound quality and video are outstanding. Hard to believe, Decca was able to accomplish both from a live performance. Tenor Frank Lopardo has a wonderfully handsome voice and sensitive presence. Their voices blend well together and the chemistry between the leads is very strong. The scene in Act I when Alfredo nibbles Violetta on her lower lip as she attempts to resist his kiss is truly seductive. I do disagree with the prior reviewer's comments about Leo Nucci. Nucci is perfect as the disapproving and stern father. This is probably the best live version of "La Traviata" on dvd yet. See Angela Gheorghiu in "Tosca" dvd.

A "Regular People" Review.......2006-12-04

I'm new to the Opera, just getting into it over the last year. This is a great DVD and to make it even better you get the Highlights CD which sounds great. Any newcomer to the Opera will love the performance. But it would be good to also have the libretto handy for the viewing definitely worth it...and keep me updated!

Top-rank stage production.......2006-07-05

The only other DVD of the opera that I'm familiar with is Zeffirelli's movie version, which relies on cinematic effects as much as on the (heavily cut) score. There are no cinematic effects in this Solti version, but neither is it a "live" production -- clearly, it was taped without an audience and then shots of the Covent Garden crowd were spliced in. That's probably just as well, as we get a minimum of interruptions for applause, but be warned if you are expecting a truly spontaneous performance.

I can only echo what has already been said about Georghiu's performance. Unlike the vulnerable, barely-in-control Violetta of Teresa Stratas, she is a queen, commanding every scene she's in (which is most of them). She moves with graceful deliberation and sings with absolute authority. Lopardo is less persuasive as Alfredo -- maybe it's just that he squints too much to convince us that he's the ardent lover -- but the excellent overall direction masks any lack of acting skills. Indeed every bit of stage action in this performance seamlessly advances the story -- there is no sense, as there often is in opera, that the performers are being busy just for the sake of being busy.

It's a pleasure to be able to say that all this technical proficiency does not diminish the emotional impact of the production. Maybe it doesn't quite get the three-hankie rating of Zeffirelli's version, but it certainly gets two, and it perhaps earns them a little more honestly.

Unparalleled beauty.......2006-04-27

If there were to be a single performance of Verdi's masterpiece "La traviata" on one's dvd shelf, this is it.

Covent Garden rightly decided to downscale the sets to draw the focus on the main characters (with the exception of the third act, which accommodates for the large crowd). It is, as the editorial review dictates, unspectacular. There is no question that this production relies solely on the drama inherent in the music to drive the performance.

Angela Gheorghiu is easily this generation's most captivating soprano. She sings with a confidence and clarity in the upper register that few can boast, and a warm, luscious low register. Her phrasing is intelligent, always conscious of her place in the score. With superb acting skills to boot, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her Violetta is elegant, full of poise and strong integrity (odd, given the nature of the character's reputation as a courtesan), while at the same time vulnerable and sincere in her love for Alfredo. Her rendition of 'sempre libera' is so exhilirating, it will leave one gasping for air.

Frank Lopardo wouldn't be my first choice for Alfredo. He lacks the vocal splendor and prowess of his betters, tending to sound uncomfortably forced in the upper tessitura. Both he and Gheorghiu make a handsome couple, and his fiery denunciation of Violetta toward the end of act three is surprisingly cold and menacing. It's just a shame he doesn't have the voice to back it up. Leo Nucci is Leo Nucci. There are definitely better Germonts out there, but his Italianate sense of authority brings an authenticity to a mostly non-Italian cast (I think I'm quoting the leaflet here, but it's true!).

While Gheorghiu sparkles in this production, the true hero is undoubtedly Sir Georg Solti. The maestro conducts this piece with a delicate touch that is rare even for him. His London players give their all, achieving superb levels of nuance. By producing an eerily 'empty' sound, they brought a sense of unfulfillable longing in the prelude, echoing Violetta's ill-fated romance. While most of Verdi's works are typically laced with doom laden overtones, here it is absent. This is possibly the most intimate of his operas, and Solti's extensive operatic experience shines through with his probing and surprisingly revelatory reading of the score which wrenches the heart through to it's climactic end. When you take his theatrical, and often bombastic approach out of the equation, one is left with a rare, unparalleled beauty that is more than just noteworthy... it's miraculous.

Unparalleled beauty.......2006-04-27

If there were to be a single performance of Verdi's masterpiece "La traviata" on one's dvd shelf, this is it. Written at the height of his creative powers, it remains a staple in the repretoire of any respectable opera house.

Covent Garden rightly decided to downscale the sets to draw the focus on the main characters (with the exception of the third act, which accommodates for the large crowd). It is, as the editorial review dictates, unspectacular. There is no question that this production relies solely on the drama inherent in the music to drive the performance.

Angela Gheorghiu is easily this generation's most captivating soprano. She sings with a confidence and clarity in the upper register that few can boast, and a warm, luscious low register. Her phrasing is intelligent, always conscious of her place in the score. With superb acting skills to boot, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her Violetta is elegant, full of poise and strong integrity (odd, given the nature of the character's reputation as a courtesan), while at the same time vulnerable and sincere in her love for Alfredo. Her rendition of 'sempre libera' is so exhilirating, it will leave one gasping for air.

Frank Lopardo wouldn't be my first choice for Alfredo. He lacks the vocal splendor and prowess of his betters, tending to sound uncomfortably forced in the upper tessitura. Both he and Gheorghiu make a handsome couple, and his fiery denunciation of Violetta toward the end of act three is surprisingly cold and menacing. It's just a shame he doesn't have the voice to back it up. Leo Nucci is Leo Nucci. There are definitely better Germonts out there, but his Italianate sense of authority brings an authenticity to a mostly non-Italian cast (I think I'm quoting the leaflet here, but it's true!).

While Gheorghiu sparkles in this production, the true hero is undoubtedly Sir Georg Solti. The maestro conducts this piece with a delicate touch that is rare even for him. His London players give their all, achieving superb levels of nuance. By producing an eerily 'empty' sound, they brought a sense of unfulfillable longing in the prelude, echoing Violetta's ill-fated romance. While most of Verdi's works are typically laced with doom laden overtones, here it is absent. This is possibly the most intimate of his operas, and Solti's extensive operatic experience shines through with his probing and surprisingly revelatory reading of the score which wrenches the heart through to it's climactic end. When you take his theatrical, and often bombastic approach out of the equation, one is left with a rare, unparalleled beauty that is more than just noteworthy... it's miraculous.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Shades of Soul:Lover for My Husband

Holt of the Secret Service

My Favourite Brunette - Bob Hope 100th Anniversary [1947]

DVD: Make Way for the Ping Pong Club

Sauerkraut 3 - 900 Jahre Sauerkraut/Der Unfall