Verdi La Traviata opera to libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Directed 2021 by Davide Livermore at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Nadine Sierra (Violetta Valéry), Francesco Meli (Alfredo Germont), Leo Nucci (Giorgio Germont), Caterina Piva (Flora Bervoix), Luca Bernard (Gastone de Letorières), Catherine Meldolesi (Annina), Francesco Samuele Venuti (Baron Douphol), William Corrò (Marchese d'Obigny), Emanuele Cardaro (Dr. Grenvil), Alfio Vacanti (Giuseppe, Servant of Violetta), Giovanni Mazzei (Commissionario), and Egidio Massimo (Un domestico di Flora). Zubin Meta conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Set designs by Giò Forma; costume designs by Mariana Fracasso; light designs by Antonio Castro; video designs by D-wok. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Video Production by Metis. Sound by MASClassica Audio Recording—Claudio Speranzini and Antonio Martino. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
This is the hard-edge Swinging Sixties update to La Traviata. John of operaramblings.blog reviewed the disc and calls it a “strong candidate for the best video of La Traviata in a crowded field with strong competitors.” Ivan Hewett also reviewed the disc and felt that Nadine Sierra’s acting fell flat—he gave the video 3 of 5 stars in his review in The Telegraph. Bob Dieschburg, writing for operawire.com, applaudes the combination of excellent singing from Sierra and a “symphonic” rendition of the orchestra score by old-hand Meta.
I usually tend to disdain Dynamic as publishing “lame and tame." Here they offer something aggressive. So whether you spring for this offering depends on whether you like your Violetta with a traditional chaser or straight. If you want it straight, Violetta has to have the looks of a knockout, which Sierra does.
Here’s a trailer:
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