While memories of Elizabeth Futral’s electrifying performance in the title role of “La Traviata” remain vivid, soprano Pamela Armstrong makes a lasting impression of her own in Opera Colorado’s revival of its highly successful 2004 production.
It is easy to question the company’s decision to bring back the production so soon, given the many other wonderful operas yet to be programmed here at all. But the temptation to do so is certainly understandable.
The 1853-54 creation by Giuseppe Verdi remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, and this production was and still is a knockout.
It stands as incontrovertible proof of how far this company has come under the dynamic leadership of artistic director James Robinson, who moves to the Opera Theatre of St. Louis next year, and Peter Russell, its recently departed president and general director.
If the cast for this revival, which opened Friday in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, lacks some in star power compared with its predecessor, the performances are nonetheless universally strong. And the rest of the production comes off just as a compelling the second time around as it did the first.
Robinson, who served as stage director, zeroes in on the fraught inner drama and human vulnerability in this tale of unfulfilled love, jealous anger and blind honor, investing this production with compelling intensity and uncompromising directness.
The ugly confrontation between Violetta Valery and the father of her lover in Act 2 is every bit as tense and heartbreaking as it should be, and gritty realism pervades the achingly moving final scene, when Violetta lies dying. No softening the edges here.
The elegant, refined sets and costumes by Bruno Schwengl, each scene with its own look and color, are nothing short of spectacular. Of special note are the painted backdrops, especially the one in the second act, in which the snow-capped trees softly blur into the wintry sky.
Conductor Stephen Lord brings his masterful touch to the pit, sensitively supporting the singers and drawing the maximum emotional impact from every sigh and soar of Verdi’s near-perfect score.
In her third appearance with Opera Colorado, Armstrong only reinforces her reputation as a total performer. She ably marries first-rate singing with highly believable acting, paying heed to the smallest details, including subtly wheezing as Violetta lies dying of tuberculosis.
Although the fallen courtesan is not one of her frequent roles, Armstrong is in command vocally all evening. She handles with aplomb its considerable technical demands, including the many coloratura passages, and makes the most of the character’s major arias.
Garrett Sorenson, who is making his Opera Colorado debut as Alfredo Germont, Violetta’s lover, has a big, agile tenor voice ideally suited to the Italian repertoire. It is a joy to hear him sing.
But there are drawbacks to his performance. He is often a bit flat-footed as an actor, and he does not always focus his abundant vocal fluidity on his character’s emotions moment to moment and sacrifices expressive depth as a result.
Baritone Scott Hendricks returns as Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father, and once again, he is superb. His rich, resonant voice could hardly be better attuned to this role, and Hendricks manages to be both menacing and comforting during the character’s confrontation with Violetta.
It is a pleasure to have this first-rate production back, but it’s time to give it a nice, long rest after this. Considering Central City Opera also presented the work last summer, we’ve had enough of “La Traviata” for a while.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
”la traviata”
Opera. Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets. Opera Colorado’s revival of a 2004 production of the popular work by Giuseppe Verdi. 7:30 p.m. today and Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday. 2 hours, 45 minutes (three acts, two intermissions). $28-$157. 303-357-2787 or .
