Verdi: La Traviata (Glyndebourne)

Venera Gimadieva (Violetta Valéry); Michael Fabiano (Alfredo Germont); Tassis Christoyannis (Giorgio Germont); Emanuele D’Aguanno (Gastone, Viscount de Letorières); Magdalena Molendowska (Annina); Hanna Hipp (Flora Bervoix); Eddie Wade (Baron Douphol); Oliver Dunn (Marchese D'Obigny); Graeme Broadbent (Doctor Grenvil);

Verdi’s tragic masterpiece is elegantly updated by director Tom Cairns in this ‘fresh and thrillingly unfamiliar' (Independent) Glyndebourne production, in which Violetta’s death is cast as an idée fixe, creating a liberating framework that is well supported by Hildegard Bechtler’s semi-abstract designs. Described as a soprano of ‘huge presence, compelling to watch’, Venera Gimadieva is ‘thrilling’ (Guardian) in her company debut as the doomed courtesan, well matched by Michael Fabiano’s sharply suited and ‘robustly-sung’ Alfredo (Financial Times), with Tassis Christoyannis delivering an imposing performance as the formidable Germont père. Conductor Mark Elder reveals his mastery of the opera’s dramatic shape, coaxing each and every nuance out of the London Philharmonic Orchestra to create beautifully stylish music-making.

Reviews

" a Traviata that glances to the past while stepping resolutely into opera’s emotional and dramatic future." (The Independent ★★★★)

"Having Venera Gimadieva in the role makes such an approach much easier to bring off. She is a soprano of huge presence, compelling to watch, with a voice of thrilling security and range, and a special quality to her quieter singing that makes you hang on every note. It's a remarkable, touching Glyndebourne debut, and she's paired with an Alfredo, Michael Fabiano, whose singing has real zest and attack..." (The Guardian ★★★★)

"A stupendous tension, rather than just a deep sadness leading to the usual indulgent weepfest, informs the entire performance... I’ve never seen a production so alive to all the emotional confusion and psychological complexity, if reluctant to provide easy resolutions." (The Arts Desk ★★★★★)

"Beneath the long lines he [Mark Elder] coaxes from the London Philharmonic, he gives the music a precise rhythmic pulse and draws revealing contrapuntal threads at the least expected moments." (The Financial Times)

"Venera Gimadieva and Michael Fabiano, as Violetta and Alfredo, both sing with an almost languid, big-voiced ease that’s a pleasure to witness. Her sound is creamy and penetrating, with Act I’s fireworks cleverly and convincingly negotiated; his is virile and exciting, although perhaps a little unstintingly so at times." (The Spectator)