Conductor....................Fabio Luisi
Production...................Willy Decker
Violetta.....................Natalie Dessay (soprano)
Alfredo......................Matthew Polenzani
Germont....................Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Flora........................Patricia Risley
Parts (or all) of this HD film of Verdi's La Traviata from the Metropolitan Opera are different from the live broadcast in 2012 where Natalie cracked one of her notes. This version contained no disasters, but did show a certain amount of fatigue in her voice. It is possible that Violetta is too heavy for Natalie. It is also possible that she is simply showing the effects of aging. (I read in the earlier post that Natalie had a cold during the run.) Natalie is an extraordinary operatic performer who brings considerable acting talents to this role. It was a pleasure. I was glad I came back. For the best Dessay see next weeks Daughter of the Regiment.
I learned from on line comments that I was correct in thinking that there was more music in Act II than I was used to hearing. The role of Germont was filled out with pieces that are usually cut, no doubt to give us more of Dmitri Hvorostovsky who is wonderful here. His Germont is a bit of a bully.
I'm not sure why, but I love this production. The focus is on the inner life of Violetta and not the outer life of the characters. I am attracted to its simplicity.
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