The classical arts connect the dots for every culture. The great operas, symphonies, stories, plays and dances last beyond the eras of the artists who create them, crossing generations, continents, the stages of history.
Maybe that’s a billowy thing to say in relation to any single production of any particular work, but a night at the Central City Opera makes that quality of art palpable. The 1878 theater is old, at least in American years, and delicately preserved, and so the music it presents today can take on the feel of the music of yesterday, even of the centuries.
The current production of “La Traviata,” which opened Saturday, understands that power in this tiny venue and makes the most of it. The setting of Verdi’s tragedy is the mid-1800s, about the time Central City was coming into its own as a boom town, growing with enough confidence to construct a sturdy performance hall near the top of its tallest hill.
The timing adds a dose of authenticity to the opera that its story otherwise would lack in the current age. The plot is driven by a need to follow strict social rules that are long gone, to heed the will of God who, for better or worse, is less influential in matters of personal choice than he was when Francesco Maria Piave wrote the original libretto.
It’s a nice coincidence, and director Elise Sandell goes with the flow, delivering a traditional staging that respects the quirks of the room it is playing.
She crams the singers on stage — which in Central City is just a few feet from the first row — and has none of them holding back. The volume is loud, the acting aggressive; this is the kind of in-your-face production that is only possible in such a compact house, and it’s one of the reasons Central City stands apart as a venue.
Peter Harrison’s exaggerated sets follow suit. The first act is a glittery grouping of candelabras and gilded mirrors. The second has 70 windows, floor-to-ceiling, all brightly illuminated from behind, followed by seven steer skulls (for some reason) painted gold and hung along the wall as decoration.
The costumes sparkle, too. Jewels gleam, sequins glisten. There’s a lot of light on stage.
This all puts a lot of pressure on the singers to measure up, and not just to their immediate surroundings. If Central City is timeless, then it is the titles and the building that remain consistent. Performers, however, come and go. It’s not easy for them to be memorable.
But ultimately, in this production, they are. Saturday evening Ellie Dehn started well and ended better as Violetta, one of opera’s most familiar heroines. Her confidence seemed to expand as Violetta’s troubles — and the role’s demand for versatility — increased. Tenor Ryan MacPherson embodied all of Alfredo’s haughtiness and regrets. They were a good match.
Baritone Troy Cook did what smart singers do with the scene-stealing music Verdi wrote for Alfredo’s overbearing father Giorgio — he stole each scene he was in.
Still, it was a night when the venue starred in the show. Conductor and music director John Baril has mastered the way the orchestra and singers can mix in this cozy place, so there were no technical distractions.
And that meant the spotlight remained on the venue itself, the quirky little opera house in the hills where past and present collide.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540, rrinaldi@denverpost.com or twitter.com/rayrinaldi
LA TRAVIATA
Central City Opera presents Verdi’s masterpiece. Afternoon and evening performances through Aug. 8. Central City Opera House, 124 Eureka St., Central City. $25-$102. 303-292-6700 or centralcityopera.org.
