Naxos Blog

Performed at La Scala alla Teatro de Milano and with a cast led by the incomparable Angela Gheorghiu and Ramón Vargas, Arthaus Musik releases La Traviata on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc on September 30. Gheorghiu first sang the role of Violetta, under Sir Georg Solti at Covent Garden in 1994. During one of the rehearsals for the production, Solti said of the soprano’s performance: “I was in tears. I had to go out. The girl is wonderful. She can do everything.” This production marks the first time that the title role was sung at La Scala by Gheorghiu. Proclaimed as a “tenor to cherish” by Gramophone, acclaimed Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas performs the role of love-striken Alfredo.

Conducted by Lorin Maazel and filmed live at La Scala during the summer of 2007, this production of La Traviata is a revival of the 1990 production, directed by Liliana Cavani and with sets designed by Dante Ferretti. Cavani’s direction of Traviata has been praised for its psychological and realistic detail. Ferretti’s sets are luxurious and beautiful, perfectly portraying the mid-nineteenth century time period in which the opera occurs.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 5:26 am and is filed under New Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.