Review Roundup: San Francisco Opera's LA TRAVIATA

The San Francisco Opera opened Verdi's LA TRAVIATA at the War Memorial Opera House on Wednesday night.

Let's see what the critics had to say:

Joshua Kosman of SF Gate: Really, if you want to make a list of the things that a major opera company should not be doing with its time and money, No. 1 would be presenting repertory staples in ways that suggest they don't matter at all. The "Show Boat" production, whatever you may think about the propriety of musicals in the opera house, at least has lots of passion and commitment behind it... Those qualities were nowhere in evidence Wednesday, though, as an unimpressive cast meandered its way through Verdi's great melodrama under the alarmingly lethargic leadership of Music Director Nicola Luisotti. The tired old John Copley production has returned for the umpteenth time, staged in predictable fashion by director Laurie Feldman.

Georgia Rowe of San Jose Mercury News: Still, audiences come to the opera house to hear great singing, and Luisotti, for all his careful ministrations, didn't have a cast fully capable of bringing Verdi's score to life. As Violetta, soprano Nicole Cabell produced lovely, pure-toned sound, and she imparted a fresh, alluring quality to her Act 1 aria, "Ah, fors'è lui." Act 4 brought a measure of the role's dramatic fervor. But her phrasing was often inelegant, and it remains for her to find the touching, fragile quality and solid, free-flying high notes that distinguish the great proponents of this role.

Michael Milenski of Opera Today: The cast was decidedly low octane, and intimidated by the conductor. The stage action by the principals was kept downstage center, looking not at each other while singing to one another but presentational, addressing the audience and most importantly remaining able to have direct eye contact with the conductor.... Soprano Nicole Cabell replaced the originally announced Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Violetta. Mlle. Cabell has previously proven herself a finebel canto singer in San Francisco (Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti ed i Montecchi) in an integrated production (musical and production elements were compatible). A fine singer and artist, here undirected, she struggled to dominate the stage as required of Violetta, and did not possess an energy or brilliance of tone to bring Violetta to vibrant life. She opted out of the optional E-flat in "Sempre Libera."

The Opera Tattler: The orchestra sounded sumptuous, though the tempi that Maestro Nicola Luisotti kept were consistently ahead of the singers. The chorus was slightly tepid in the Brindisi. The principal cast features very pretty voices with a lot of volume, yet the effect was curiously flat. Vladimir Stoyanov has a rather strident manner as Germont. Saimir Pirgu has a pleasant, bright warmth as Alfredo, but his singing has an effortful quality. Nicole Cabell (Violetta) sounded gorgeously icy, her voice is beautiful and strong, but somehow she fell short of embodying her character.

Jason Victor Serinus of the San Francisco Classical Voice: The singing was often excellent, if rarely on the same exalted level. Soprano Nicole Cabell gave a deeply nuanced performance as Violetta Valéry - the courtesan who parties through the first stages of "consumption" (tuberculosis), opens her heart to love-stricken Alfredo Germont, abandons him at his father's request, and reunites with her beloved minutes before her demise.

Photo Credit: Kevin N. Hume, The Chronicle

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