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 - Good Music set in a Weird ProductionIt would be good if it is just a CD. To celebrate the reopening of the premiere venue of La Traviata, the producer really got some funny ideas about Verdi's work. Modernisation of operas, if not done in good taste, often tends to be disastrous, and this is a typical case. I do not mind the revealing dresses of Ciofi - in the newer production of La Traviata Netrebko did not have a better 'gown' to cover herself either. What I do mind is the shock that the production conveys - may be that was meant to be so, but it is quite distasteful in certain respects. The appearances of props like US $ notes, cameras, TV sets, microphones, spectacles, all smells of cabaret shows or the Rouge Moullin, but those things are obviously quite far off Verdi's script. Would a 1970's Aflredo fall in love with a prostitute that has consumption? (Or may be a drug addict, if the conversion is to be be more complete?)From the moment of the overture onwards, one is being 'prepared' to witness some changes, but as the plot proceeds, the changes are often too unexpectant and sometimes even weird. It is simply difficult to believe that this Alfredo would fall in love with this Violetta. Vocally, the three protagonists are quite even, with the pair Alfredo/Violetta matching well. Both are smallish voices, effortful singing, but managed quite well. The vocal star is Hvorostovsky, but the role of the Germont Sr. as a whole is a real joke to viewers. If it was not for Maazel's conducting and Hvorostovsky and Ciofi and Sacca's singing, the production could be called a real disaster. Rating: - Well-sung, well-directed "modern dress" productionThis performance of "La Traviata" was to celebrate the reopening of the Teatro la Fenice in 2004. As most opera buffs know, the original premiere of La Traviata in 1853 at the same theatre was a fiasco. Giuseppe Verdi rewrote some of the music, and set the opera back a century. It of course became a huge hit, and to this day remains arguably Verdi's most popular opera. This 2004 performance uses the original 1853 score. There aren't many differences -- the obvious differences are in the Germont/Violetta duet in Act 2, brief snippets of music in the party scene, and again brief snippets of music in the final Alfredo/Violetta duet.' The production is not a "traditional" Traviata. It's been updated to modern times. Violetta's party is rather sleazy. In the opening scene she's dressed in a revealing red negligee, and men grope her as she sits atop a piano. Alfredo is an eager paparazzi -- in "Un di felice" he shows Violetta the pictures he's taken of her. An overriding symbol in the production is money -- Violetta throws a handful of dollar bills in the air while singing Sempre libera. In Act 2, instead of the usual country house we're set in a "forest of greenbacks," with money literally falling out of trees. Flora's party is a sleazy nightclub, and the "ballet" is performed by, well, not exactly strippers, but nightclub dancers. There's a big screen TV showing the nightclub dancers. In the final act, Violetta is alone in a warehouse/loft. The large screen TV remains, but this time there's only static. Violetta's empty life of celebrity is over. She sadly flips through the photos Alfredo gave her while she sings "Addio del passato." Many people might not like the updated production, but I thought it worked fairly well. The real-life "Violetta," Marie duPlessis, died at the age of 23. She was pimped out by her father when she was in her teens. Despite the multitude of lovers, she couldn't have had many happy moments in her life. She was a celebrity, but it must have been an empty, unfulfilling life. This production doesn't change the gist of La Traviata. The only thing that's different is that Violetta is not so obviously dying of consumption. But La Traviata lives or dies at the hands of the soprano. There have been so many Violettas, but so few great ones. I hesitate to put Ciofi on the list of "greats" but she's certainly very good indeed. Her voice is not the most beautiful -- it has an acidic edge to it, and her performance is not perfect either. She struggles with pitch problems during Act 1. The fiendishly difficult runs of "Sempre libera" are sung cleanly and she even throws in an interpolated E-flat. But hers is a Violetta that improves through the acts. Naturally thin and frail-looking, she truly looks sick by the last act, and although her voice is not large she knows how to sell the big moments, like "Amami Alfredo" or the final "Oh gioia!". Roberto Sacca is the weak link. He's pudgy and unattractive, but that's not why I don't like his portrayal. He's very insensitive. All bluster and no tenderness. He has a good ringing top but that's it. (Although to be fair it's hard to find tenors willing to sing Alfredo. Many of the famous ones think it's beneath them.) Dmitri Hvorostovsky's silky baritone is appropriate for Germont, but at this point in his career he could walk through the role, and he does. Of the La Traviatas available on dvd, I would choose Angela Gheorghiu's video as perhaps the best "starter" dvd. A traditional, tasteful production, and Gheorghiu was/is a wonderful Violetta, with a voice that's more traditionally beautiful. Anna Moffo made an artificial, over-glamorized film in the late 1960s, but that doesn't detract from Moffo's incandescent Violetta. This Venice performance is not perfect, but if you're a fan of either Ciofi or the opera, I recommend the video. Rating:  - Too naughty production & Medicore singing..I had looked forward to have this DVD because I thought this would be a good modern production compared to traditional ones. At first impression, I admit the performance was quite satisfying. But, the problem that I eventually found is too naughty and ridiculous presentation of Flora's Party scene and not so good singing of Sacca and Hovobostovsky. 2 stars for the Ciofi's performance (not for singing but for acting!) & Mazzel's direction. Rating: - Disappointing TraviataMine seems to be a minority opinion here, but this production was a big disappointment. I was looking forward to Patrizia Ciofi as Violetta because she was thrilling in the recent Lyon Opera production of Lucie de Lammermoor. I was curious to see Roberto Sacca as Alfredo because I've only heard him as a sweet-voiced Mozart tenor (he does a great job of humanizing Don Ottavio in The Zurich Opera's 2001 Don Giovanni). And I expected great things from Dmitri Hvorostovsky who was so good as di Luna in Il Trovatore. The first surprise was to see Violetta played as a common prostitute instead of the self-educated and refined courtesan, Marie Duplessis, on whom Verdi based the character. To help with this transformation, the director updates the setting to the 1970's, Violetta parading around in flimsy lingerie and Alfredo appearing to be some kind of photographer (paparazzi perhaps?). I can accept the director's choice to focus on Violetta's "bottom line" profession, but in Act I, Ciofi and Sacca play their characters as so self-absorbed that they are entirely unsympathetic. How can we believe Alfredo loves Violetta when, as he cries "mysterioso" in "Di quell' amor," he's throwing photographs at her ("head shots" in the trade) and then sings the rest of the duet with his camera in front of his face, snapping pictures? This duet seems like a complete failure to me. Ciofi continues to disappoint in Act I. She oversings and overacts in her big set piece. I find it painful to watch. In Act II, Sacca's voice comes alive in "O mio rimorso," but why is the floor of the forest covered with U.S. dollars printed with Verdi's picture? I don't get it. (The bills later fall like leaves as Violetta cries "Amami, Alfredo," providing a big distraction in what should be the opera's most heartbreaking moment.) I was hoping Hvorostovsky would save the day as Germont, but he's strangely stiff and remote as the concerned, if overbearing, father. He seems uncomfortable in the role. Ciofi's best moments come in her death scene, including a haunting rendition of "Addio del passato." But on the whole, this production feels forced, from the singing to the acting to the directorial choices. For Traviata on DVD, I recommend either the 1992 La Fenice production with Gruberova, Schicoff, and Zancanaro (Rizzi conducting) or the 1994 Covent Garden production with Gheorghiu, Lopardo, and Nucci (Solti conducting). Rating:  - Not to be missedAdmittedly there are some things to criticise about the underlying concept behind this production (I do not agree with Robert Carson's premise that Violetta was a prostitute. She was a courtesan, something far different)-- but surely that is part of the fun of seeing new productions. Fortunately the "stand and deliver" static productions are dying off, singers are now expected to be able to act as well as sing; and opera productions are moving in varied directions -- some more successfully than others. Carson has a basic premise and builds on it in a unified manner. The production is nowhere near as bad as Mr. Piper's somewhat over-the-top review would have one believe; and I hope that no one is put off by his review. The ballet which he calls a complete bust is an appropriate campy nightclub production; there is not all that much rolling around the floor; the lingerie is not all that revealing; etc etc. One should take the time to try to figure out what is happening and why. As I wrote above, it certainly makes viewing more fun. The reason I started in this way is because I would hate people to be put off from buying this recording. The three leads are prime examples of actor/singers, and their performances really should be seen. Dmitry Hvorostovsky as Giorgio Germont gives a restrained but powerful performance which leaves us in no doubt that this is a man who is used to command, who is never questioned, who is always in control and believes himself always right --until the final act. Roberto Sacca as Alfredo Germont was a bit nervous at the start, but quickly got into it and portrayed a man who is soft and warm (which is what Violetta iis looking for) until he is crossed and then his passion is aroused and one can see the underlying fire that Violetta was also doubtless aware of. But by far the star performer here (as in Lucie de Lammermoor) is Patrizia Ciofi as Violetta. Her body language in the differing requirements of Act I, each part of Act II, and Act III is a marvel to behold. It is such a strong performance that were the other two not so good, the production would be too one-sided. Needless to state, the singing is first rate. The orchestra under Lorin Maazel was also quite good, although because of the power of what was happening on the stage one tends not to pay too much attention to it. All told, this is a production that should not be missed. It is different in concept from other Traviatas; and even if you disagree with the basic premise, the acting and singing will hold you spellbound and perhaps will even provoke a tear or two.
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