Last fall James Conlon, Music Director of the LA Opera, was telling us how excited he was to have this season begin with Verdi’s Don Carlo and end with the composer’s La Traviata. Here we are at the end of the season with Marta Domingo’s production of La Traviata opening on June 1st and concluding the season on June 22nd.
Domingo is, of course, Plácido Domingo’s wife. Her art deco production of La Traviata, set in the 1920s, has been performed by LA Opera several times. She serves as both director and designer of this production.
In the opera, Violetta, who is in declining health, throws an opulent party. At this party she is introduced to Alfredo by her lover, Baron Douphol. When signs of failing health get noticed by Alfredo, he encourages her to give up her lavish lifestyle. He also admits his great love for Violetta. A love triangle is now in play. From there the opera tells the story of a woman who sacrifices everything to live life on the edge.
Since this is an opera by Verdi, who only wrote one comic opera, Falstaff, you know this one is not going to end well.
Adela Zaharia plays Violetta. Rame Lahaj plays Alfredo for the performances from June 1st to June 13th. Charles Castronovo performs on June 16th, 19th and 22nd. Wayne Tigges plays Douphol.
James Conlon is conducting the LA Opera orchestra. Which is as it should be since this Verdi opera was the first opera he ever heard. In the program notes for La Traviata Conlon explains why this opera resonates so strongly with audiences:
“The tragedy of La Traviata is essentially that of premature death, whose omnipresence is established in the first bar of the prelude. Violetta (violet is the traditional color of death in the Roman Catholic Church), condemned by incurable tuberculosis, has risen from a childhood of abuse and misery, to become a cultivated young woman of intelligence and depth with an authentic capacity to love.”
Kitty McNamee is the choreographer.
There are six performances of La Traviata: June 1st, 9th, 13th, 16th, 19th and 22nd.
La Traviata runs 2 hours and 55 minutes with two intermissions.
For tickets go here.
Main photo: Adela Zaharia and Rame Lahaj in La Traviata
All photos by Ken Howard/Courtesy of LA Opera
