Programs · Episode

VERDI: La Traviata

Program: At the Opera
Aired: Saturday, September 29, 2018 @ 6:00 pm
Hosted by Lisa Simeone

When the diva dies just as the final curtain falls, it may seem like an operatic cliché — but not in the hands of Giuseppe Verdi. He made the final scene of La Traviata one of the most profound of them all. On At the Opera Lisa Simeone presents Verdi's great drama in recordings featuring three standout interpretations of the lead role, by sopranos Anna Moffo, Ileana Cotrubas, and Anna Netrebko.

FEATURED RECORDINGS:

Fernando Previtali, conductor

Rome Opera Orchestra and Chorus

CAST: Anna Moffo (Violetta Valéry); Richard Tucker (Alfredo Germont); Robert Merill (Giorgio Germont); Anna Reynolds (Flora); Liliana Poli (Annina); Franco Calabrese (Baron Douphol); Franco Ventriglia (Dr. Grenvil)

(RCA 82876-82623)

Carlos Kleiber, conductor

Bavarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus

CAST: Ileana Cotrubas (Violetta Valéry); Placido Domingo (Alfredo Germont); Sherrill Milnes (Giorgio Germont); Stefania Malagú (Flora); Helena Jungwirth (Annina); Bruno Grella (Baron Douphol); Giovanni Foiani (Dr. Grenvil)

Carlo Rizzi, conductor

Vienna Philharmonic; Vienna State Opera Concert Chorus

CAST: Anna Netrebko (Violetta Valéry); Rolando Villazon (Alfredo Germont); Thomas Hampson (Giorgio Germont); Helene Schneiderman (Flora); Diane Plicher (Annina); Paul Gay (Baron Douphol); Luigi Roni (Dr. Grenvil)

MORE ABOUT THE OPERA:

A while back, the The New York Times ran a commentary under the provocative headline, "How Hollywood Films are Killing Opera." The piece cited two films in particular as guilty of the crime, including one that highlights Verdi's La Traviata.

The movies in question are the 1987 Oscar-winner Moonstruck and the 1990 hit Pretty Woman, neither of which is really about opera. In fact, each of the films embraces a well-known pop tune as a sort of theme song: In Moonstruck it's Dean Martin with "That's Amore," while Pretty Woman shares its title, and some screen time, with the iconic hit by Roy Orbison.

Yet both films also have key scenes that feature famous operas. In Moonstruck, Cher and Nicholas Cage spend an evening at the Metropolitan seeing Puccini's La Boheme. And in Pretty Woman Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to San Francisco for La Traviata.

But in both cases, the Times articles says, opera is presented in a way that does the genre a grave disservice, by portraying it as an art form that's "lush, static and stale"; as something to do for a "solemn date night"; and as a way of "leaving everyday life behind."

And those are fair points — as far as they go. Both Boheme and are well-worn operas, and in the wrong hands might easily reinforce operatic stereotypes. And both Moonstruck and Pretty Woman do present a night at the opera — at least in part — as little more than a swanky way to see and be seen. Richard and Julia even fly to the opera in a private jet! But even so, maybe there's something more going on — both in the movies, and in this week's featured opera.

There are obvious parallels between Vivian, the Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman, and Violetta, the lead character in La Traviata. They both have the same occupation, for one thing. They both agonize over a potentially troublesome romantic relationship. And, crucially, they both face vexing decisions about how to survive the worst of their inclinations — and how to live up to the best of them. So for Vivian, observing events in the opera may well influence her own, "real life" decisions later on. At movie's end, perhaps forewarned by the opera, she decides not to follow Violetta's tragic example.

So, sure. Verdi's opera gives Vivian, and the rest of us, a chance to forget reality, and escape our lives, if only for a little while. And the movie may prop up the familiar notion of opera as a fuddy-duddy sort of entertainment.

But La Traviata, and its creator, also accomplish something more elusive, and more valuable — which in turn is illustrated in the film. The opera provides genuine insights into our own emotions, helping us to deal with our lives when the stage curtain falls, the theater goes dark — and the curtain on reality goes back up again.

On At the Opera, we'll take a close look at Verdi's La Traviata in three recordings, made over a period of more than 40 years. One, from 1960, stars soprano Anna Moffo as Violetta, alongside tenor Richard Tucker as Alfredo. In a 1977 release, we'll hear soprano Ileana Cotrubas with tenor Placido Domingo. And, in a much heralded production recorded live at the 2005 Salzburg Festival, soprano Anna Netrebko stars with tenor Rolando Villazon.

Playlist