La Traviata

Lyric Opera of Chicago

I haven't seen La Trav in about fifteen years. I saw it in Vienna, which was treat enough. Seeing it in Chicago, though, last night - this was also a real treat, of a different kind.

I thought Chicago's new production was a home run. Something of the ball just making it over the fence, but a home run all the same. In my odd ranking system I would place it just under La Boheme in the spring as "must-see," and into the next category down of "extremely worthwhile."

It started with a fantastic lecture. All the lectures are great and if you go to the opera, but miss the lecture I think you are missing one of the best parts of the evening. I never took advantage of them at the Met and I never knew what I was missing. I think they are interesting and really prepare you for the evening. Last night's lecture was such a clearly great education and walk through of the opera, that it also made the category "extremely worthwhile." I liked the chronological structure of the lecture, taking us through the opera and the focus on what the music and the melodies were telling us about the action and the character's emotions and what to listen for.

When I was in Vienna I had recently read Camille and so the only thing I thought about was the storyline in relation to the book.

This time I thought about the storyline in relation to my life in New York and leaving all the parties and the good food and the laughs for love in the middle America, in the country. And, I also thought of friends who had also had to leave the city for love. Most people can't have the party life full of effervescent pleasures and true love at the same time. There seems to be something true about this.

I also now know young death as a mourner, so I thought about that, too. The story really struck a chord in me, which surprised me.

But, the star of La Traviata, why it is an enduring favorite, why it is one of Verdi's best, why it is so often performed is the music. And, if you have star music, you need stars to fill out those roles. And, we did.

At first, there were signs of danger. The soprano, Marina Rebeka, was nearly inaudible in her lines at the beginning. They weren't important and when she came to her first important bit of singing, the truth that she had the lungs for the role became reassuringly apparent. And, then once we could hear her we were delighted to hear an incredible timbre and then what sent me over her the edge was the beauty and magnificence she brought to the lyrical, connected lines throughout the opera. I could listen to her sing those lines forever.

Joseph Calleja is always enjoyable. He has been at Lyric regularly and never disappoints. He's a wonderful tenor. Need I say more?

The new production was very good. After the slightly sub-par Parsifal a few weeks ago, this was welcome. I liked the theme brought to light by the shadows on the wall, the line between mortality and immortality, the frivolity of the lifestyle. The story was told in a myriad of ways through the production and the directing.

I hated the furniture in the second act. I have seen Stuff Happens and Mother Courage, by the same set designer. And, I have to say - the sets in those two plays was so unremarkable I don't remember them. In Stuff Happens - was there a conference table at one point? Maybe? Anything besides that?

Anyway, I don't think you walk into an antique shop or the back of the prop room and then just throw a bunch of pink furniture on stage against an orange backdrop. It was jarring and distracting. And, I didn't understand the point about the backdrop getting lighter and darker in the second act. It was a fall landscape and sometimes it was more orange and then less orange. If the pink was symbolic of a hangover from the first act, then it was still not good. And, well - the weird lighting - it wasn't a strong enough symbol for me to mean anything than it just being weird. The second act just didn't work. But, the first acts and the third acts definitely did. And, other than the weird lighting in act 2, the lighting was great throughout, too.

I was pretty excited about this production. I would definitely recommend it. I had a great time. And, I didn't want the evening to end. Good job, Lyric.