The Opera You Didn’t Know You Knew

La Traviata – Lyric Opera of Chicago

Before seeing the premiere of the Lyric’s new production of La Traviata at the Civic Opera House this weekend, I attended a preshow lecture about the history of the show. I learned that though it is now considered one of the finest operas ever written and a staple of many companies’ repertoires, it actually flopped on opening night amid composer Verdi’s battles with censors demanding edits and an opera house that wouldn’t cast the roles of its young lovers with actors who were…well…young. A couple of years later, some edits and better casting made the show the hit it has remained but, while I was listening to the lecture, I couldn’t help but think how hard it is to picture how classical works were received in their own time. They didn’t come into the world at stuffy or sophisticated pieces — they were the popular culture of their day, and inspired as much passion in their audiences as Hamilton or Dear Evan Hansen do in ours. Fortunately for this show, once the curtain went up the gap was easy to bridge.

La Traviata is the tragic story of Violetta, a Parisian courtesan who is dying of consumption, and her aristocratic lover Alfredo. Alfredo’s father convinces Violetta to leave Alfredo for fear that their scandalous relationship will destroy Alfredo’s sister’s chance of marrying into a good family. She takes up with a prior lover, knowing the only way to make sure Alfredo stays away is to make him hate her and, for a time, he does. The lovers eventually reconcile, but only in time for Violetta to die in Alfredo’s arms. Normally I avoid spoilers like this, but, as Bugs Bunny asked in another classic work, What’s Opera, Doc?: “Well, what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?”

The story is certainly one of the period. With a modern mindset it’s hard to conceive of anything one does affecting a sibling’s romantic life, outside of an Austen novel. That said, Violetta is not merely some passive tragic heroine being buffeted from tragedy to tragedy. She chose the life of a courtesan. She chose a life of parties and pleasure. Then, she chose to leave that behind to love Alfredo — and chose to let him go and return to her former life when she thought that’s what was best. When she sings her final, achingly beautiful note and dies in Alfredo’s arms, the show immediately ends. The result is that Violetta is cemented as the sole propulsive force rather than a character to whom the story happens. She is noble and self-sacrificing, and even Alfredo’s tradition-bound father comes to respect her by the end for the strength of her character. For a show about to turn 166 years old, its heroine is more present and three-dimensional than a fair number of modern cinematic offerings can manage.

For anyone who has never attended an opera before, I should note that the biggest difference between opera and other live theater is the lack of amplification. Neither the singers nor the orchestra use microphones, but believe me, you will have no trouble hearing every note. These people know how to project, but because the sound is only coming from in front of you, rather than all around you, it focuses your attention on the stage. Translated lyrics are projected on a small screen above the stage, but, to the extent you can, I kind of recommending ignoring them. In parts where lines or choruses are repeated, the translations weren’t re-projected, and it lets you completely slip into the music. The specific plot points are less important than the emotion, and the emotion transcends the language barrier on its own.

The set design is fairly minimal, at least by opera standards, but it serves the show well. There are two huge party scenes that take place on the raked stage. The steep angle and bright lights cast bizarre, elongated shadows on the bare walls. The second party scene, rendered in reds and blacks, reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe’s Masque of the Red Death. The spectre of death hangs over the revelry, reflecting our knowledge that Violetta is almost out of time. The preshow lecturer described the show as something closer to a chamber piece than a traditional opera. In place of the extravagant set pieces and dozens of people on stage, the action focuses almost exclusively on Violetta, Alfredo, and his father. The smaller focus also helps make the story easier to access. Despite being in the massive gilt theater of the Civic Opera House, the only word I can think of to describe the show is intimate.

I want to single out soprano Albina Shagimuratova as Violetta for praise. She is on stage for most of the show and carries the third act almost entirely alone. Her voice is beautiful and warm. Her presence is entrancing. You can hear the transition in her character over the course of the show and how she sings. Any time a show portrays a character as so captivating that they propel literally all the action, it can live or die on how alluring the star is. Shagimuratova’s performance is more than up to the task.

I’m not one of those people who thinks everyone needs to like everything. Everyone has particular tastes and not responding a to a genre isn’t a sign of some defect. That said, I do think everyone should try to enjoy new things every now and again and give the things they don’t normally listen to or see a fair shake. I think this may be the perfect show for that, when it comes to expanding one’s horizons into opera. The set design is gorgeous. The vocal performances are lush and moving. The music is beautiful and more often than you’d expect, even for the uninitiated, familiar. Arias and orchestral pieces from this show inhabit our pop culture in everything from Looney Tunes to commercials to the famous opera scene in Pretty Woman. Seeing the source material so masterfully performed was a genuine pleasure.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Kevin Curran

Presented February 16 – March 22 by the Lyric Opera of Chicago at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-827-5600 or by visiting www.lyricopera.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found at www.theatreinchicago.com.

All photos by Lyric Opera of Chicago and Todd Rosenberg.