Verdi: La Traviata

   in Opera Now (Oct, 2015)
La traviata, filmed in Paris, has a similar problem. Damrau delivers such a rounded portrayal as Violetta that everyone else looks one-dimensional. Her voice is essentially less idiomatic here, and conductor Francesco Ivan Ciampa’s expansive line for ‘Amami, Alfredo’ pushes her to the very limit, but Damrau builds a wealth of vocal details into a cohesive whole. The same goes for her impeccable acting. Francesco Demuro’s tone is not the most rounded, his stagecraft tenorially symmetrical, but he has vocal style and excellent diction. Ludovic Tezier’s smooth baritone is always a pleasure, but his Germont goes through the motions. Benoit Jacquot’s traditional direction is unexciting: each scene is dominated by one …