2023-07-22 12:02:50
Time.news – After five years returns to Caracalla ‘La traviata’ for the direction of Lorenzo Mariani. Sold out at the premiere of this work which sees in the role of the protagonist Violetta Valerywhich has become one for the occasion movie star modeled after Marilyn Monroe (whose image opens and closes the show), the soprano Francesca Dotto, already protagonist of the same production in 2019.
For Verdi’s masterpiece – which features a conductor of great operatic experience such as Paolo Arrivabeni on the podium – the director is inspired by the years of Fellini’s ‘La dolce vita’but from a perspective extraneous to luxury and sparkles: the story of Violetta Valéry is intertwined with that of the cinema icons of the past, thrown into the vortex of the star system-devouring society.
© Yasuko Kageyama
Francesca Dotto (Violetta)
The opera in three acts whose libretto is written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the novel ‘La dame aux camélias’ by Alexandre Dumas, ‘La traviata’ by Giuseppe Verdi is probably the most performed opera in the world which, as musicologist Giovanni Bietti writes, presents revolutionary elements such as “the character of Violetta who during the course of the opera goes through a physical and psychological transformation unprecedented in the history of the genre”.
Caracalla’s versionwith modern costumes, a scooter on stage reminiscent Gregory Peck’s Vespa from ‘Roman Holiday’ and many paparazzi who simulate the settings of Fellini’s masterpiece, takes the setting from 1853 of the original to the 60s of ‘The sweet life’.
© Yasuko Kageyama
La traviata, Caracalla 2019
“There is a lot of beauty in the film, but it is a ferocious beauty that devours people – said the director – in fact, that film is a ruthless portrait of Rome and Italy at the end of the 1950s. It has the glitz and glamor of a crushing system. I think of certain actresses consumed by success in a few years like Laura Antonelli, who lost her life. Violetta is like that too, that is, trapped in a world that gives no way out. On the other hand, the French bourgeoisie of the mid-nineteenth century was extremely ruthless”.
To conduct Verdi’s masterpiece is Paolo Arrivabenispecialized in the Italian operatic repertoire, who returns to Caracalla after the great success, in 2015, of Puccini’s ‘La boheme’ staged by Davide Livermore. We owe him the choice to make some cuts that he defined as “opportune”, “necessary in a context like that of caracalla to maintain concentration for an entire work in a context that inevitably offers some more distracting elements”.
© Yasuko Kageyama
La traviata, directed by Lorenzo Mariani
Some arias of Verdi’s masterpiece are famous – above all ‘Love me Alfredo, quant’io t’amo’ – and the ‘E flat’ of the aria ‘Sempre libera’ at the end of the first act (“Sempre libera degg’io folleggiar diGIO inGIO, vo’ che scorra il viver mio pei paths del piacer”). However, those who followed last night’s premiere were perhaps disappointed because Frances Dotto he did not perform the high E flat at the conclusion of the first act cabaletta.
The attention of music lovers and all the tensions of a soprano have always focused on that note (not written by Verdi) (the famous Mirella Freni’s ‘cue’ in the disputed and refined La Scala staging directed by Karajan, director Zeffirelli, set and costume designer Danilo Donati.
Precisely for this reason, director Arrivabeni explained, the E flat was not played. “I find it useless to put pressure on a soprano who throughout the act will think of nothing but that pointing, instead of the rest of the music to which she must engage”. Furthermore, he specified, that virtuosity “is a tradition but it is not written and it is not necessary at all, you can choose whether to include it or not”.
Highly appreciated in the role of Violetta Valéry, the soprano Francesca Dotto – who is one of the best known interpreters of the courtesan – took on the role of Violetta at the Rome Opera in the famous 2016 production directed by Sofia Coppola and costumes by Valentino, and Caracalla in 2019 in this version signed by Mariani.
The young tenor will alternate with her in the role of Alfredo Germont John Hall – winner in 2014 of the Competition for Young Opera Singers of the Italian Opera Concert Association – and Alessandro Scotto of Luzio, also already Alfredo in 2019 in Caracalla.
Giorgio Germont is instead interpreted by Christopher Maltman – highly sought-after baritone for Verdi roles – and by Marco Caria – special audience prize and runner-up at the Operalia Competition in 2007.
The cast is completed by Ekaterine Buachidze (Flora Bervoix), Mariam Suleiman (Annina), Mattia Rossi (the Marquis d’Obigny), Nicola Straniero (Gastone), all belonging to the “Fabbrica” Young Artist Program of the Teatro dell’Opera, Arturo Espinosa (Baron Douphol) who graduated in the same project “Fabbrica” and Viktor Schevchenko (Doctor Grenvil). The orchestra and choir, directed by Ciro Visco, are from the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
Collaborator to the director and choreographer Luciano Cannito, the scenes and costumes are respectively by Alessandro Camera and Silvia Aymonino. Roberto Venturi in the lights and Fabio Iaquone and Luca Attilii in the videos. Reruns of ‘La traviata’ in Caraccalla are scheduled for Tuesday 25 and Friday 28 July, Wednesday 2, Friday 4 and Wednesday 9 August. The start time for all shows is 21.00. Each performance is in the original language with Italian and English subtitles.
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