She's sung almost everything from Morgana in Handel's Alcina to Ophélie in Thomas's Hamlet, but tonight, the bomb drops on Dessay-Day, and Natalie unveils her first Violetta exclusively for the Santa Fe Opera. The new Verdi Traviata production is from the Laurent Pelly/Chantal Thomas wonder-twin power team, and the highly-anticipated production has everyone clamoring for tickets. OC regrets she can't be in Santa Fe for the opening night, but wishes the entire Santa Fe Opera a giant in bocca al lupo!
;-))
Posted by: Laurie | July 04, 2009 at 01:11 AM
She's perfect for a place like Santa Fe...
Posted by: nick | July 04, 2009 at 10:23 AM
I was there. It was hawt.
Posted by: KRay | July 04, 2009 at 06:06 PM
KRay - would you mind offering a short "review" of the performance? This is such a milestone in Dessay's career - how did it go?
Posted by: DiegoFlorez | July 05, 2009 at 06:41 AM
Tell me more...I have tickets for August 17th.
Posted by: Lou Ann D. | July 05, 2009 at 08:22 AM
Review from Santa Fe New Mexican:
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Review--La-Traviata--opens-SFO-season-with-power--passion
Posted by: Lou Ann D. | July 05, 2009 at 09:04 AM
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Review--La-Traviata--opens-SFO-season-with-power--passion#
very intelligent and good review from santa fe new mexican, and I feel really happy for that team! Hope to see and hear them in Europe!
Lucky you in this part of the world!
Posted by: maguy | July 05, 2009 at 11:48 AM
It's a little surprising this is her first time as Violetta. She's such a natural for it. Yeah the whole thing was, as you can expect, breathtaking.
Posted by: Roderick Ventura | July 05, 2009 at 06:43 PM
It is her first Violetta because she was a coloratura and after her voice problems and solutions she gained the voice we now appreciate, dramatic soprano as it is so she can sing Manon and Violetta! I have the impression she likes Santa Fe , not only the opera house, and her husband joined her on the cast, which is not often.
Posted by: maguy | July 05, 2009 at 09:43 PM
As a company member and aspiring singer myself, I am a bit biased, but this was as compelling as Traviata gets. Dessay, Pirgu, and Naouri left everything out on the table. It was particularly nice to hear someone make some real new choices in the role of Violetta. Yes, there have been fuller-voiced Violettas, but hers makes an incredible journey throughout the evening. A couple of my favorite moments - the second time through "Ah fors'è lui," the coloratura fireworks in "Sempre libera," the return of "Dite alle giovine," surprisingly the "Morro!" and "Prendi quest'è l'immagine." Of course, the orchestra had to tone down a bit on moments like "Amami Alfredo," but this did not leave them less riveting. The young Pirgu really opened up in the third and fourth acts to reveal a passionate side that was worth waiting for, and Ms. Dessay's husband Laurent Naouri was like a rock as Germont.
I can only give it the highest of reccomendations. Get your tickets now as they are nearly all gone.
Posted by: KRay | July 05, 2009 at 10:46 PM
It was, for me, the best singing and acting she has ever done. The production is not traditional but never shows disrespect to the opera. I wasn't a huge fan of Pirgu until the 4th act. Naouri's voice was so strong, passionate and he gave a very nuanced performance. Dessay is my favorite singer so it might be biased to say that I adored her in the part and that I cried from the second act to the moment she dies so I will tell you what others said. One woman who commented on how her career was over ended up wiping tears from her eyes. Another man walking by said "That's the first time she's sung it? That's some of the best singing I've ever heard". To say the least it was a pretty good first night.
Posted by: Cassandra | July 06, 2009 at 07:27 AM
Well, I hate to burst everybody's "NDBubble" but friends of mine who were there did not think it was such a magnificent performance considering also the state of her voice, but they admired her tenacity and her intelligence and apllauded her at the end. It felt strange to them, ardent La Scala subsription owners and opera-goers, being at an opening night and not hearing a section of the audience booing etc etc ;-)
Posted by: walter | July 06, 2009 at 10:49 AM
thank you for your precisions Kray. I was breaking my head yesterday to try to understand what you mean by "hawt" . Only find in Collins(hawtorn = aubépine = a sauvage rose).
I saw and ear her in Lucia at Paris, unforgetable. And very good actrice too. For Traviata I remember she always says that she wants a new staging to sing it.
Posted by: octavie | July 06, 2009 at 05:44 PM
I've seen some real bombs at SFO and never heard the audience boo. I think most of the people in the audience couldn't tell the difference between good and bad opera and wouldn't know what to boo.
Posted by: Lou Ann D. | July 07, 2009 at 02:21 AM
I have been at every performance of this Traviata so far (as well as the dress rehearsals)
Mme Dessays's idea of "acting" Violetta means completely distorting the vocal line. There is not one moment of legato the whole evening. She is a smart woman, and she has to know she is struggling vocally to get through the opera. The 1st performance (and final dress, when Met Admin were there) were done on pure adrenaline, but the voice is cracking, tired, hoarse and airy. Mark my work, she will not have an easy time getting through this run, if she makes it at all.
Posted by: J.A. | July 11, 2009 at 03:42 AM
This was very ho hum and Traviata lived up to its name, a true travesty. The production was bleak and downright hideous with awkward staging choices such as the ridiculous dancing of the chorus at Flora's salon. Dessay was overparted by this role, and fell back on her tried and true stage schtick to get through the opera. All in all a lot of hype and an unmemorable evening at the opera.
Posted by: darby | October 29, 2009 at 02:37 PM