CRITIQUE – Verdi’s masterpiece is on tour until April, in co-production between Clermont Auvergne Opéra, Opéra de Reims, and Opéra Nomade. A nuanced interpretation.
Clermont-Ferrand
They’re handsome, they’re rich, they have nice suits, they have no morals, and they kinda celebrate it all. A diaphanous girl in pajamas crosses the stage. She seems from another world and the guests do not seem to see her pass among them. It is their soul that leaves them. They resume the libations. A little troubled.
Perform a classic like The Traviata is not without risk. Little to gain, much to lose. The bet is good for this interpretation, in co-production between Clermont Auvergne Opéra, the Opéra de Reims, and the Opéra Nomade. This opera by Verdi created in 1853 in Venice has captured something so deep in the humanity of its characters that a director can set the plot in the century and place of his choice without the likelihood suffers.
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In this case, Pierre Thirion-Vallet has placed his characters in a contemporary universe. Pants and jackets, blouses and skirts for the most choristers, a splendid slit dress with purple highlights for Violetta, a sporty and chic look for Alfredo, and a more mature tweed for Germont; simple, effective, coherent.
All in oneirism
On the musical side, the orchestra gave a nuanced copy, never attacking the very numerous revivals of an opera full of silences and recitatives. The strings, sometimes restricted in number, particularly for the cellos, managed to increase in power throughout the opera for a poignant last act. For the Clermont dates, it was chef Barthélemy Martin who held the baton. A very seasoned wrist to Verdi since the remarkable direction in Italy that he gave from Aear, under the masterful staging of Zeffirelli, in Sicily last year…
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