Reviewed by James Karas
The Canadian Opera Company is reviving its 2015 production of La Traviata for the second time. The redoubtable production by Arin Arbus was last revived in 2022 and Mo Zhou is the current revival director.
There are two casts for the major roles and by happenstance I saw the performance with the alternate cast on September 26. They will sing two more performances on October 2 and 9.
Canadian soprano Andriana Chuchman leads the cast as the courtesan Violetta who finds love and happiness briefly with Alfredo Germont. She gives a superb performance as someone who goes from a self-confident and independent woman (“Sempre libera”) to one who is deeply in love and gives up all to live in the country with her lover. All crumbled when Alfredo’s father appeared and begged her to abandon Alfredo to save his daughter’s marriage. Having a courtesan in the family is bad news for the Germonts in rural France in the 19th century.
As if that were not bad enough, Violetta is suffering from tuberculosis and in the final act she dies from it after a brief reconciliation with Alfredo. Chuchman takes us through all those stages in her life with vocal splendor and emotional conviction. She expresses joy in the drinking song “Libiamo” with Alfredo and the chorus, strength and compassion in her scene with Germont. At the end of Act II, after being humiliated and flung to the floor, she comes to herself at the conclusion of “Di sprezzo degno se stesso” where Alfredo is roundly condemned for his conduct, Violetta sings “Alfredo, how should you understand all the love that's in my heart?” Her voice trembles with emotion and beauty.
La Traviata, 2026 © Michael Cooper
In the final scene where she dies, the weak Violetta sings with extraordinary pathos, hope and happiness to come with Alfredo. She sings her final aria “Se una pudica vergine” wishing that Alfredo will find love with another woman. She dies with the word “gioia” on her lips. Chuchman performance is a joy to watch and hear.
Tenor Luke Norwell sings a good Alfredo but he did not display many vocal flourishes. He did a fine job with “Oh mio rimorso!” where he promises to expiate his disgraceful conduct towards Violetta. In the final act he and Violetta were splendid.
Reginald Smith, Jr. sang the role of Germont, Alfredo’s father. He has a rumbling baritone voice that may do well in some roles but in La Traviata he needs to appeal to Violetta’s decency when he pleads for her to give up her lover. He has to do the same with Alfredo with the gorgeous aria “Di provenza il mar il suol” to convince him to return home to Provence and give up Violetta. He must make deeply emotional appeals and unfortunately Smith’s vocal talents fell short of emotional conviction and intensity. He sounded aggressive when he approached Violetta and he may be better able to do roles that require belligerence or antagonism.
La Traviata requires three sets and designer Riccardo Hernandez provides them as needed. In the first act we have the parry at Violetta’s posh mansion with tables for dining and men in tuxes and the women in beautiful gowns courtesy of Costume Designer Cait O’Connor. The second act in Violetta’s country home shows large panels of rural life that look just fine but with only a couch and a desk in them we get the message that they are financially broke. Her bedroom in the final act is baren with a bed and a chair.
Director Arin Arbus has produced a solid, traditional Traviata
that still looks great more than ten years later. The Canadian Opera Company
Orchestra and Chorus were conducted by Paolo Carignani in a superb production of
one of the most popular operas in the repertoire.
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La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi opened on September 18 and will be performed a total of ten times until
October 17, 2026, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto,
Ontario. www.coc.ca
James Karas is the Culture editor of The Greek Press, Toronto
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