Seattle Opera’s ‘La Traviata’ puts an imaginative spin on a classic

Opera review

When operagoers are very lucky and all the stars align, we get a production like Seattle Opera’s new “La Traviata,” running through May 21: an imaginative, beautifully cast presentation of a great classic. No gimmicks, no distortions, but plenty of fresh ideas and lots of action — stage director Francesca Zambello, always reliably excellent, is in top form here. The pacing never falters, and the big ensemble scenes proceed with vivid energy.

Conductor Carlo Montanaro makes the musical values paramount, supporting the singers right down to the last sixteenth note in some of the greatest arias and ensembles in the operatic repertoire. His sense of timing is impeccable; he knows down to the millisecond how long to wait for the singer’s breath, for the culmination of the high note, and when to press forward.

And what singers! In the title role (and her Seattle Opera debut), we have Vuvu Mpofu, a young South African soprano whose vocal finesse makes the challenging coloratura arias sound easy and natural. (“La Traviata” means “one who strayed,” and the courtesan Violetta certainly fits that category, though her unselfish generosity and her good heart redeem her.)

Mpofu is a compelling actor, conveying both Violetta’s physical fragility and her determination to live life to the fullest. Her voice is resonant and powerful, and was impressively agile as she rose to the final high E-flat in one of the most famously florid arias in the operatic repertoire, “Sempre libera” (“Always free”). Mpofu’s tender and regretful “Addio, del passato” was heart-wrenching enough to make operagoers reach for their hankies. This is a singer to watch, one who is both technically accomplished and vocally thrilling.

As Violetta’s lover, Alfredo, the agile tenor Dominick Chenes is suitably dashing and mercurial, well matched to Mpofu in strength and impetuosity. Their scenes together have real electricity, whether they are courting or fighting — as they do when Alfredo’s father, Giorgio (Michael Chioldi, powerful and highly convincing in his aria “Di Provenza”), persuades Violetta to leave Alfredo for the good of his family. (Violetta unselfishly agrees, in order to avoid a scandal that would ruin the matrimonial chances of Alfredo’s sister.)

There are two casts for this production, and Mpofu and Chenes will alternate in their roles with Mané Galoyan and Duke Kim. 

Zambello’s staging is creative and sometimes surprising: As the opera opens, Violetta is already hospitalized with the consumption that will eventually kill her, but she rises from her bed to relive the story of her ill-fated love for Alfredo. Swoosh: There goes the hospital bed, here come the revelers, and we’re swept up into the vibrant, almost frenzied party scene that launches their love affair. Zambello’s adroit deployment of the chorus and the principals here is both imaginative and effective.

A hearty thumbs-up to choreographer Parker Esse and associate choreographer Andrea Beasom for the fast-paced, action-packed transitions from hospital to festive banquet revelers.

Kudos also to chorusmaster Michaella Calzaretta; the singers are both zesty and accurate. (They’re also extremely nimble.) The delectable period costumes were designed by Jess Goldstein; the effective and atmospheric set designs by Peter J. Davison.

This is a “don’t miss” for fans of this great classic opera.