Royal Opera House: La Traviata

Renée Fleming has matured into one of the finest sopranos around at the moment, a true star with a sparkling personality and a velvet-toned voice that is capable of wringing the finest emotions out of works by Strauss and Tchaikovsky that from a lesser singer could sound rather cold and clinical. I wouldn't have thought her voice would be so well suited to Violetta Valéry in La Traviata, and it does take some getting used to, but I think she at least brings a distinct quality to the role with an emotional heart that isn't always necessarily there when a leading diva uses it primarily as a display for her vocal talents. It's served well also by Antonio Pappano's conducting of the Royal Opera House Orchestra in a traditional, but effective production by Richard Eyre.

Cast

Renée Fleming

as Violetta Valéry

Joseph Calleja

as Alfredo Germont

Thomas Hampson

as Giorgio Germont

Monika-Evelin Liiv

as Flora Bervoix

Eddie Wade

as Il barone Douphol

Kostas Smoriginas

as Il Marchese d'Obigny

Antonio Pappano

as Self - Conductor

Richard Wiegold

as Il dottor Grenvil

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

as Self - Orchestra

Chorus of the Royal Opera House

as Self - Chorus

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