Review: LA TRAVIATA, Opera Holland Park

Now on its third revival, Rodula Gaitanou's heart-stopping version of Verdi's tragic La Traviata is as affecting as ever. Opening with consumptive courtesan Violetta gasping for air, it never lets up its hold on the senses.

Verdi's unflinching tale follows the last few months of tragic Violetta's life. Having fallen in love with a weak young man called Rodolfo, she is confronted by his bourgeois father and selflessly chooses to renounce her love for him. The illness that has ailed her, rears it head once more, moving to a ending brimming with sorrow.

British-Irish soprano Alison Langer comes to the role of Violetta with wit, delicacy and skill. She first sang the role here in 2018 as a Young Artist and demonstrates how much she has developed and matured as a performer. She manages the tricky change from the vibrant coloratura of the opening scenes to the darkness and impending doom of the later acts very well. Her rendition of "Sempre Libera" is light and playful, with a change in "Addio, del passato" to genuinely moving and full of emotional longing.

Matteo Desole returns to the role of Alfredo for the third time, his warm Bel Canto a treat to hear. He shows good acting ability; convincing in his both his petulant rejection and true love for Violetta.

Michel de Souza is a poised Germont, lacking in some of the menance needed to convey the controlling elements of the character. Vocally, de Souza has strong diction and gravitas, particularly in his lower range.

Ellie Edmonds returns as a nervously fluttering Annina and baritone Nicholas Garrett captures the pride in the imperious Barone Douphol.

In the pit, Matthew Kofi Waldren conducts with vigour and propulsion, creating an impressive sound from the City of London Sinfonia. Verdi's score asks a lot of the orchestra, particularly the violins here, but they respond with aplomb. The playful parties are as well defined as the emotional deathbed, with tenderness and intimacy inbetween. The Opera Holland Park Chorus in also in fine voice.

Cordelia Chisholm’s elegant design is lovely. Her decadent fin-de-siècle Paris shows a curtained chamber to one side, allowing for Violetta's boudoir and her rural idyll with an expanse of antique-mirrored doors along the rest of the stage. Here the masses of perfectly coiffered party guests tumble in and out of the scenes, sporting huge wigs, feather fans and immaculate dresses. 

Gaitanou restricts the cast to the back section of stage, behind the sunken orchestra pit until the very last scene, where Violetta finally succumbs to her illness. It is a simple move, but incredibly effective, as though the audience is allowed into the real intimacy and tragedy of the situation. However, it does also restrict some of the flow of the party scenes. The gypsy and the matador choruses are slickly choreographed, never tipping onto farce.

Last staged in 2021, as the world was recovering from Covid, it is wonderful to see this excellent version of La Traviata back in full throttle. Bravo.

La Traviata is at Opera Holland Park until 2 August