La Traviata

Given the sheer number of productions available on DVD and Blu-ray of Verdi's popular 1853 opera telling the tragic tale of the consumptive courtesan Violetta—who sacrifices herself for her lover, Alfredo, at his father's urging—a new one must be special to attract notice. What stands out in this 2011 mounting is the venue—the cavernous Arena di Verona—along with the spectacular staging of Hugo de Ana, featuring enormous sets and extravagant costumes. Unfortunately, while visually arresting, the musical side is not nearly as striking. Neither Ermonela Jaho's Violetta nor Francesco Demuro's Alfredo approaches the best singing in these famous roles, with both delivering a few genuinely painful high notes when stressed; and Vladimir Stoyanov is barely adequate as the young man's father, Giorgio. Julian Kovatchev's conducting is curiously subdued, lacking much of the score's passion. With other superb options—such as the late Lorin Maazel's from La Scala (VL-1/09) and Antonio Pappano's from Covent Garden (VL-9/11), this will likely be of interest only to those who wish to see La Traviata (which is a fairly intimate work) performed in a place the size of a football stadium. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is an optional purchase. (F. Swietek)