The trouble with directors or in this case 'stagers', is that they seem unable to leave a good thing alone.
So here we have 'Traviata' which is supposed to show the principal character's opulent living at the one end, and the subsequent squalor at the other. Hence you should have sets - one opulent - the other shabby! Instead, we have a set comprising a sofa, a chair and a clock! For goodness sake, spare us this sort of pretentiousness!
Don't get me wrong - I don't mind updating Operas, or putting them in a modern setting, if it's done well and if it works, but this kind of mistreatment is not necessary or clever and it doesn't work!
I was going to give a rating of only five stars to this, but the singers are superb, and Verdi's music is still wonderful.
For the singers, and for Maestro Verdi six stars - for the production - none!
So here we have 'Traviata' which is supposed to show the principal character's opulent living at the one end, and the subsequent squalor at the other. Hence you should have sets - one opulent - the other shabby! Instead, we have a set comprising a sofa, a chair and a clock! For goodness sake, spare us this sort of pretentiousness!
Don't get me wrong - I don't mind updating Operas, or putting them in a modern setting, if it's done well and if it works, but this kind of mistreatment is not necessary or clever and it doesn't work!
I was going to give a rating of only five stars to this, but the singers are superb, and Verdi's music is still wonderful.
For the singers, and for Maestro Verdi six stars - for the production - none!