ODM returns with La Traviata

August 31st, 2012

Kicking off the Opéra de Montréal’s 33rd season is Verdi’s La traviata, inspired by La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The work, emblematic of Verdi and among the most popular operas in the entire repertoire, reveals the composer as a great man of Italian opera: risqué subject matter, sublime music, captivating arias, vocal prowess, and dramatic energy—all of which revolutionized opera of the day.
In the demanding role of courtesan Violetta Valéry, Greek soprano Myrto Papatanasiu will make her company debut after having triumphed in the same role in Dallas this year, where she was awarded the Maria Callas Debut Award for her performance. She will share the stage with Italian tenor Roberto De Biasio in the role of her lover Alfredo, and Italian baritone Luca Grassi, also making his company debut, as Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont. Another debut: Italian conductor Fabrizio Maria Carminati leading the Orchestre Métropolitain and the Opéra de Montréal Chorus. Stage direction for this Opéra de Montréal production, which is set in the 1910s, is by Michael Cavanagh, sets are by Tom Mays, costumes by Gail Bakkom, and lighting is by Anne-Catherine Simard-Deraspe.
Each performance is preceded by a preOpera talk by musicologist Pierre Vachon in the Piano Nobile at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, at 6:30 pm (In French with a summary in English. Free for subscribers, $5 for non-subscribers).
Tickets are going fast. With just one month to go before opening night, we are almost 70% sold out. A classic that has remained both relevant and popular!
The story takes place in Paris and its outskirts in the 19th century. During a party she is throwing in her home, the courtesan Violetta Valéry meets Alfredo Germont, a young man from a good family. The two instantly fall for each other! Violetta leaves behind her many lovers and is swept away in a passionate affair with Alfredo. The lovers settle in the country, devoting themselves to their love for each other… but societal conventions and Violetta’s past soon catch up with them. Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, asks Violetta to renounce her love for his son, fearing that the relationship will ruin the family’s good reputation. After having argued the strength of her love, Violetta finally consents and writes a farewell letter to Alfredo, without explaining the real reasons for her departure, leaving him in mad despair. At a party in the home of Violetta’s friend Flora, Alfredo, still convinced of his lover’s betrayal, publicly insults and humiliates her, throwing down the money he has just won at the gaming table, as payment for her past favours. Everyone in attendance is outraged at Alfredo’s actions; even his father berates Alfredo’s graceless behaviour. Violetta, already weakened by consumption, soon takes a turn for the worse. Informed of Violetta’s sacrifice by his now repentant father, Alfredo rushes back to Paris to ask for her forgiveness. But the illness has run its course, and Violetta dies in Alfredo’s arms, alongside his devastated father, while outdoors, the carnival is in full swing.
Central to the work is the sacrifice of a sensitive young woman, coming up against the hypocrisy of self-righteous high society in the 19th century. In a world dominated by men, Violetta unjustly pays for her freedom and her desire for upward social mobility. To give added weight to a theme that was important to him—his works often featured pure and courageous heroines doomed to misfortune by society or power—, Verdi set his Page
opera, like the play, in his own era. In doing so, he paid homage to singer Giuseppina Strepponi, his companion during his “galley years,” who was reproached by Verdi’s entourage much in the same way Violetta was in the opera. In a profoundly Catholic Italy, and at a time when operas were still inspired by mythological or historical subject matter, Verdi’s choice offended the sensibilities of a society moulded by morals and hypocrisy.
The work features a series of hits that sing out and make you want to sing along, supported by a captivatingly dramatic orchestra. The vocal requirements are particularly demanding for the lead role of Violetta, for which Verdi requires three different voice types: light and skilful (Act 1), passionate and dramatic (Act 2), and lifeless and breathless (Act 3). All great singers have tried to measure up to the role!
Following Rigoletto (1851) and Il trovatore (1853), both of which were highly successful, La traviata completed the so-called popular trilogy and was a pivotal work in Verdi’s musical career, making him Italy’s most popular and most important opera composer.

For more information, visit www.operademontreal.com