Spotlight On: Troy Cook, Baritone (Giorgio Germont, LA TRAVIATA)

Troy Cook, Baritone

Editor's Note: Today's blog comes from an article in our 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide). Deborah Morrow (Director, Education & Community Engagement) interviewed Troy Cook. He plays Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, which plays its final performance today.

We understand that this summer’s production of La Traviata will be your first opportunity to portray Georgio Germont, a father figure and the antagonist in this opera. What are your thoughts about this role?

I think that Germont is driven by what drives any father, a deep love for his son and family. However misguided, he feels that he has Alfredo's best interests at heart when he asks Violetta to end her relationship with his son. After seeing what the break-up has done to him, he realizes his error and tells Alfredo the truth - just in time for him to say goodbye to Violetta. So at least by the end, he is able to see that Alfredo's love is true and that Violetta's intentions were honest. I would like to think that if there were an epilogue to La Traviata, the scene would entail Germont begging for his son’s forgiveness and the opportunity to right the wrong.

In some European countries, singers are hired by a company to perform an entire season of operas (called “house singers”), but in America, opera singers (and most other performing artists) live an itinerant and uncertain life; having to audition frequently, hired for one show at a time, and traveling from job to job.  How do you cope with these circumstances, and what makes it worthwhile?

It is indeed a difficult path, however, the personal rewards for me have been fantastic! It certainly helps to have a great manager (as I do) to facilitate having a full calendar of work. That said, when I do have down time, I really do enjoy being at home! One of the ways I cope is to invest in the cost of travel for my husband to come see me wherever I am, or for me to go home whenever my schedule allows. The financial sacrifice is worth the personal gain. In the age of new communication technologies, I certainly make use of Skype/FaceTime/texting etc., which really makes me feel like I am closer to home than I actually am!

Central City Opera’s LA BOHÈME (2012). Pictured: Eric Margiore (Rodolfo), Elizabeth Caballero (Mimi), Troy Cook (Marcello), and (Musetta). Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

Baritones get to play a wide range of character types, from romantic leads to comedic leads to sidekicks, villains and father figures. You’ve done a large variety of roles in your career; do you have a favorite character or character type, either vocally or from an acting standpoint?

One of my first favorite roles was Papageno [a comedic character in Mozart’s The Magic Flute] because I felt that he was a lot like me. I even had to fight my Papageno tendencies, as I would call it, when I would do other roles. As time has passed and my voice and I have changed, so have my favorite roles. Marcello [in Puccini’s La Bohème] has, for many years, been my go-to favorite character to portray; however, I recently had the opportunity to sing Rodrigo in Verdi's Don Carlo, and I have found a new favorite character. The vocal lines fit me like a glove, and he is a complicated, multi-layered character. I really enjoyed figuring out his psychology and what makes him tick.

Does the type of theatre (large, small, good acoustics, poor acoustics) affect the way you perform? Since you’ve sung in the Central City Opera House before, please comment on what it is like to sing here.

I have to say that the size or acoustical quality of a theater does change my approach to performing a bit. If a theater is incredibly large, I am always thinking during staging about how to position myself so my voice is always going into the theater.  However, I don't change anything about my vocal technique. When a theater has a dry acoustic, I have to be extremely aware that I don't try to over-sing because the acoustic makes me feel that no one can hear me.

Singing in the Central City opera house is such a pleasure!  It's very seldom that I get to sing in such an intimate space where you can actually feel the audience with you. Also, to hear a full sized orchestra in that small space is incredible as well. It's almost like IMAX with surround sound, except it's live! 

The Central City Opera House interior. Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

Central City Opera's 2015 Festival runs through August 9, with La Traviata's last performance tonight (sold out). Check out the2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide) for additional artist interviews, background on the original production and even musical versions of word search and Sudoku!

Spotlight On: Christopher Zemliauskas, Conductor

Christopher Zemliauskas,
Conductor

Editor's Note: Today's blog comes from an article in our 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide). Emily Murdock (Associate Director, Education & Community Engagement) interviewed Christopher Zemliauskas, conductor of our one-act operas Don Quixote and the Duchess and The Prodigal Son. He was last in Central City in 2013 conducting the opera Our Town.

2015 will be your 10th summer with Central City Opera. Is there something special about CCO that keeps you coming back?

One of the things that has brought me back to CCO over the years is the consistently high level of the productions and the artists that take part in them. The roster of singers, directors, and conductors that have worked at CCO over the years is impressive to say the least, and I appreciate the company's dedication in bringing those people together. It has offered me the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the great artists of our profession, which has been invaluable to me. The repertoire that I have been able to work on at CCO spans from Handel to Sondheim, and this richness and variety of material is very exciting (and rare among opera companies today). Though I don't live in Colorado anymore, working at CCO each summer is like coming home.

Do you have any favorite moments in these operas?

I love working on Britten operas in general, and specifically I am fascinated with his chamber operas and the church parables. Having conducted another of Britten's church parables, Curlew River (at CCO in 2008), I am familiar with the style of composition and orchestration. Both pieces have a predominantly male cast, sparse orchestra, different tempi happening at the same time, lack of bar lines/meter, and heavy use of tone-rows (an aspect of twelve tone composition). For me the real joy is taking these aspects and communicating the story through the music. In many ways it's like putting together a puzzle. Every note, rhythm, theme, and choice of instrumentation means something in these pieces, and it's a rare opportunity to be able to have the time and resources to help interpret these pieces for a wider audience.

Christopher Zemliauskas conducts a rehearsal for The Prodigal Son.
Photo by Tyler Donovan.

What is your background as a musician? How did you become interested in conducting?

I started playing the piano at age 6, and had the opportunity to attend a performing arts high school where I studied both classical and jazz piano. It was there that my love for collaboration took root, as I had the chance to play in orchestral ensembles, for singers and instrumentalists, and even for dance concerts. I continued my studies at Ithaca College and the University of Minnesota in both solo piano and accompanying, and was a resident artist pianist at The Minnesota Opera after receiving my Master's degree. At MinOp I was able to play for and learn from dozens of conductors, and I began to assist on several productions. Conducting became for me a natural extension of the collaborative process, and was a way for me to add my voice and interpretation to, what is—in an ideal situation—a team of thoughtful and creative people.

Central City Opera's 2015 Festival runs through August 9, though both one-act operas have now completed their runs. Check out the2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide) for additional artist interviews, background on the original production and even musical versions of word search and Sudoku!

Spotlight on: Nicholas Ward, Baritone

Nicholas Ward, Baritone

Editor's Note: Today's blog comes from an article in our 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide). Emily Murdock (Associate Director, Education & Community Engagement) interviewed Nicholas Ward, one of our Apprentice Artists. He portrays Elder Son in our one-act opera The Prodigal Son this year as well as Marquis D'Obigny in La Traviata.

You were a Central City Opera Bonfils-Stanton Apprentice Artist in 2014 and a Studio Artist in 2013. What does Central City Opera offer to emerging opera professionals that you’ve found helpful in your career?

I feel that Central City’s program has prepared me to take on any challenge that I face in the world of opera. Between an intense class schedule, top-notch coaching, and fabulous productions, the young artists at CCO are prepared for anything. I’ve had the opportunity to perform in a huge variety of productions, ranging from grand opera to chamber opera to musicals with distinguished principal performers. CCO really offers the full package of training for somebody at the beginning of an opera career. The knowledge I’ve gained from the coaches and directors is invaluable, and I’ve been able to take what I’ve learned and apply it to my work outside of the program. I think one of the most valuable things I’ve learned here is how to get up in front of people and perform without fear. Singing in front of your colleagues can be nerve-wracking. Once you do it a few times, you get used to it and find that there’s really not much to be worried about. Now, auditions feel like a breeze! I’m glad to have learned so much in such a supportive environment.

Nicholas Ward was featured as part of the Trio in last year’s Trouble in Tahiti. Photo by Aaron Peterson.

You will be singing the role of the Elder Son in The Prodigal Son, one of our one-act operas that will be produced in Central City and Colorado Springs. What are you most looking forward to with this production?

First of all, Britten’s music is spectacular, this piece in particular. I’m really looking forward to tackling the unique challenges it presents. This is very much an ensemble piece. The singers and instrumentalists have to rely on each other for entrances, cues, and meeting points. Britten even uses his own notation to indicate special types of cues and passages. I can’t wait to get to work on this music with my colleagues, and hopefully form relationships with the instrumentalists as well. I’m also very excited to be performing this work in church venues. I think this will be a fantastic opportunity for the community to experience something very different than what is presented at the opera house. Churches provide such an excellent space for intimate performances. We’ll get the chance to connect with our audience in a very special way.


Can you relate to your character of the Elder Son in any way?

Well, I am a real-life older brother! Lucky for me, I have a wonderful family. We get along, unlike the brothers in The Prodigal Son. Other than that, I don’t see a whole lot of this character in myself, but I understand why he feels the way he does in his situation. He is an easily-angered, jealous and self-righteous person. He works diligently for his father, but his intentions are selfish. When the subject of inheritance arises, he goes ballistic and essentially disowns his younger brother. He can’t show compassion and doesn’t understand why his brother is being treated with love and kindness despite his mistakes. I think there are many valuable lessons to be learned from the stories of both sons. Many of us have felt the sting of jealousy or entitlement. The question is; how do we deal with these feelings? The story of the Prodigal Son gives us some examples of what can go wrong, and that it’s important to appreciate what we have. I’m very much looking forward to delving into this character and bringing him to life for CCO audiences.

Central City Opera's 2015 Festival runs through August 9. Check out the2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide) for additional artist interviews, background on the original production and even musical versions of word search and Sudoku!

Where in the World is La Mancha?

“La Mancha,” translates as “The  Channel” and refers to a wide bleak plain in Spain (pictured above in red). It can also be translated as “The Stain” - not great for a knight’s home base. The climate, according to Dale Wasserman (Man of La Mancha), is “Nine months of winter and three months of hell...It’s easy to invent fantasies in La Mancha, to believe that men might go mad and invent worlds not yet made.”

The red route traced below was published in the 1780 illustrated Spanish edition of Don Quixote, following the title character’s adventures, including:

· Argamasilla de Alba—Don Quixote/Alonso Quijana’s village (scholars think)

· El Toboso—home of Dulcinea

· Puerto Lápice—location of the Inn where Don Quixote was “knighted”

· Cave of Montesinos—site of one of Don Quixote’s adventures

Compiled by Erin Joy Swank (Education & Community Engagement) for our 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide). Download your free copy today!

Central City Opera's Man of La Mancha runs through August 9, 2015; Don Quixote and the Duchess performs July 28 and August 1 in Central City, August 6 in Ft. Collins.

Spotlight On: Mezzo-Soprano Lucy Schaufer (Aldonza, MAN OF LA MANCHA)

Lucy Schaufer, Mezzo-Soprano
Aldonza, MAN OF LA MANCHA

Today's blog comes from an article in our 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide), where Ms. Schaufer was interviewed by Erin Joy Swank of Central City Opera's Education & Community Engagement staff.

Our audiences are familiar with you in musical theatre roles, portraying Elsa in last year’s The Sound of Music and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha this year. However, your repertoire includes many famous characters of the opera world, including Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) and Marcellina (The Marriage of Figaro). Do you approach the roles or music any differently?

My meat and potatoes work is mainly contemporary music with smatterings of standard repertoire and of course "musical theatre" - yet as far as I'm concerned, it's all music theatre. We are story tellers.

My preparation remains fairly consistent. I mean, your physical and mental muscles need time to own the notes and the story and depending on the demands of the role, you've just got to give yourself time to ponder, work like a demon and let it stew.  

It all comes down to these questions: are you the type of artist willing to be flexible enough, to risk a lot and bend to what a composer and librettist are asking? Or are you someone happier bringing exactly who you are, vocally and dramatically, to a role? Or is there indeed a balance?

This is an incredibly esoteric answer!  But I believe it's worth asking these questions when the range of repertoire is continually expanding with every new composition written and programming decision made.  

So, in a nutshell, yes! - I approach each role with the same dogged energy of honouring the style and intention of the composer and librettist, and demand that I honestly ask myself whether or not I can produce the sounds and storytelling required of the role.

Central City Opera’s MAN OF LA MANCHA (2015). Pictured L to R: Lucy Schaufer (Aldonza), Robert Orth (Don Quixote/Cervantes), Keith Jameson (Sancho Panza). Photo by Kira Horvath.

Your work has spanned many continents, including stints in Paris, Milan, Hamburg, Portugal and New Zealand. Can you discuss any differences in the way opera is rehearsed and produced in other countries or if the audience reaction or expectation is any different than here in America?

Opera rehearsals are like a mirror to the culture and country in which you're working. Some stereotypes definitely ring true!  Italy can be pure chaos, England has lovely tea breaks, and Germany is well organised. Some countries do not have unions - like the UK. It's no longer a closed shop, thanks to Margaret Thatcher.  So it's the protections given to the musicians or chorus in the room which denote how the soloists are treated. Odd, right? 

People react in all sorts of ways to theatre the world over - but the one common reaction these days which is pervasive is the booing of "bad" characters, like  Pinkerton or Claggart. It's a pantomime reaction or TV behaviour, and frankly, I do not care much for it. Give the actor the credit for his or her performance after hours of sweating for you.   A teasing "boo" followed by a hearty cheer is one option which is palatable.  Yet I'm still perplexed by this audience reaction nonetheless.

Pictured: Central City Opera’s The Sound of Music (2014). Clockwise from Top Left: Lucy Schaufer (Elsa Schraeder), Robert Orth (Max Detweiler), Troy Cook (Captain Georg von Trapp). Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

Schaufer and Orth will star in this summer’s Man of La Mancha, while Cook performs in La Traviata; see his interview on page 14 of our Opera Insider.

You are returning for your second season “on the Hill” in Central City. With one summer under your belt, what are you looking forward to most and are you prepping/packing any differently this time?

Well, I left a box of sheets/towels last summer and I just sent a package with my steamer and other altitude friendly remedies - so I'm prepared on that front. I'll bring loads of tea from home because it's my life blood. I'm obsessive about TEA. And finally I'm so looking forward to being naughty and outrageous with unstoppable Bob Orth, working again with the wonderful Paul Curran after far too many years, and doing a few late night cabaret numbers in the bar with incomparable Tom Getty*! See you soon. 

*Tom Getty is featured in a spotlight interview on page 38 of our Opera Insider.

Central City Opera's Man of La Mancha runs through August 9. Check out the 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide) for additional artist interviews, background on the original production and even musical versions of word search and Sudoku!

What to Listen for in LA TRAVIATA - Act III

John Baril
Conductor, La Traviata

Today we conclude our three-part blog series on "What to Listen for in La Traviata" with Conductor John Baril. If you're just joining us, please read the previous posts on Act I and Act II.

ACT III

The last Act starts with another prelude featuring pronounced sobbing or weeping in the strings. Very sparse recitative ensues with much information for the audience. Violetta reads a letter (literally speaking out loud, a very rare occurrence in opera) to comfort herself over underscoring which features, you guessed it, Alfredo’s “Di quell’amor” in the solo violin. She sings her farewell aria (“Addio del passato”), realizing she will die alone. 

LISTEN: Addio del passato (Act III, Violetta) – Edita Gruberova

An offstage chorus is heard singing a cappella (unaccompanied) party music—it is Baccanale or Mardi Gras time in Paris. Note: anytime you hear offstage music in a stage work, there is always a faithful assistant conductor with a monitor and music stand making sure it all happens smoothly and efficiently. Alfredo arrives and, to another famous three-quarter time “oom-chick-chick” accompaniment, they sing about leaving Paris as soon as Violetta’s health returns (“Parigi o cara”).

 

LISTEN: Parigi o cara  – Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni

When the voices combine, listen for how differently each is written; that is, Alfredo’s melody is very lyrical and sustained whereas Violetta’s interjections are laboriously separated by (her ever-diminishing) breathing. Violetta tries to get dressed so they can go to church – all with powerful, distressing, insistent music – but to no purpose. The end of this duet (“Gran Dio, morir si giovine”) is supported by pizzicati in the orchestra—which sounds very striking and unusual. 

Germont arrives full of remorse to what reminds me of circus-music. The final ensemble, despite its intimacy, features full orchestra, including trombones and tuba, playing along in a kind of death march (except it’s in three - oh, well). Anyone familiar with sister opera Il trovatore will recognize this as a musical kindred spirit to the famous “Miserere” scene from that piece. Again, listen for how the characters express themselves within the confines of this march—very individual rhythmic outbursts layered one on top of the other. In the final moments, Violetta experiences a burst of energy bolstered by the first violin’s very soft reiteration of “Di quell’amor” supported by tremolo (literally “trembling”) string section. The very final bars of music feature the orchestra punctuating the fortissimo timpani roll with their sad, powerful Db minor chords.

LISTEN: Act III Finale – Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda, Rolando Panerai

View our Opera Insider today for the full article and more insider information on the entire 2015 Festival. La Traviata opens tonight and runs through August 8, 2015. If you can't make our opening night performance, listen to our live broadcast on Colorado Public Radio, over the air or online, 8:00 pm Mountain.

What to Listen for in LA TRAVIATA - Act II

John Baril
Conductor, La Traviata

Today we continue with the second part of our Opera Insider article on "What to Listen for in La Traviata", courtesy of conductor John Baril. If you're just joining us, read our blog post regarding Act I.

ACT II

Alfredo’s aria in Act II is usually performed with the strings playing the offbeats (“oom-CHA-CHA-CHA”) on the strings with their bows. However, there is evidence (and at least one famous recording) to suggest that the strings should play this pizzicato (plucked) instead, resulting in a more intimate, nuanced sound. As of this writing, I haven’t decided which to do and will wait to see which accompaniment is most suited to the staging. Lots of “action” happens in a short amount of time during the first scene of this act. Letters filled with good and bad news are written and delivered, and unknown people arrive and are introduced. Much of opera written in the romantic period has to do with expressing how someone feels about information they’ve just gleaned. Therefore, much of that information is delivered in fast recitative (speaking) style, often by underlings and messengers, and then the major characters’ feelings are expressed in slower, more sustained music (arias and duets and such). In this scene, we also hear Violetta’s passionate outburst “Amami, Alfredo,” hinted at in the prelude; listen for the amazing orchestral crescendo which precedes it.

Another fun game involving Verdi operas: how many “father/daughter” duets can you name, and from which works? The combination of baritone and soprano under these circumstances coerced from Verdi some of the most sublime music ever composed for the lyric stage. Traviata and Rigoletto are perhaps the most recognized, but I encourage you to check out Simon Boccanegra and Luisa Miller. 

LISTEN: Pura siccome un angelo  (baritone/soprano duet; score excerpted above) – Leonard Warren and Eleanor Steber

The “rules” of opera at the time dictated that Germont (Alfredo’s father) had to have a double-aria too, even though the action stops in order to do so, especially with regard to Alfredo’s anger, so his reactions are allowed for between the cracks of the arias. The second of these arias was often cut to avoid halting the action, but we are keeping one verse of it for two reasons: musical balance and the fact that I wanted to hear Troy [Cook] sing it!

LISTEN: Di Provenza il mar  (1st section of Germont’s double-aria) – Sherrill Milnes

Act II, scene 2 involves some more party music—this time a costume ball. Alfredo arrives, and with him, some of Verdi’s most intense music (up to this point, anyway) including an obsessively repeated motif (very small rhythmic pattern, first in the lower strings) that keeps the action moving forward to tighten up the drama. 

About the drama: La traviata is often considered the first verismo opera (realistic, or, about real people as opposed to royalty or mythical characters). Strict censorship by authorities who controlled such things prevented Traviata from being performed in modern costume, which was Verdi’s preference. That was considered too risqué and avant garde. However, it resulted in the first chink in the armor: though Verdi would fight with censors throughout his life, this fight resulted in the verismo opera movement, which includes works such as Cavalleria rusticana, I pagliacci, and much of Puccini’s output. Audiences identified much more sympathetically with this type of naturalistic theatre.

Violetta tries to get Alfredo to leave, mostly for his safety (an impending duel, of course), but his pride takes a hit, all underscored by the intense music. Everyone returns to the stage for an extraordinary ensemble that ends the act. Listen for the different reactions of characters and then Violetta’s gorgeously sad melody in the midst of it all.

LISTEN: Act II finale – Teresa Stratas, Fritz Wunderlich, Hermann Prey (“Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo core...” is heard at 6:23 and  visually excerpted above.)

Stay tuned for our final installment of what to listen for in Act III of La Traviata - or download our Opera Insider today for the full article and more insider information on the entire 2015 Festival.

What to Listen for in LA TRAVIATA - Act I

John Baril
Conductor, La Traviata

For our 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide), we asked John Baril, Central City Opera’s Music Director and Conductor for La Traviata, to write about some of the musical themes and devices Giuseppe Verdi employed in this opera and what to listen for.  Here are his thoughts:

ACT I

La traviata begins with an orchestral prelude that conveys Violetta’s story, but in reverse chronological order. Sixteen solo violins play in 4-part harmony the music that is heard at the outset of Act III and which is associated with her death. Next, accompanied by “oom-pah-pah,” very typical of the period, is her tune “Amami, Alfredo,” which we’ll hear in the middle of Act II, scene 1, just before she leaves him. Lastly, this tune is repeated without the “oom-pah-pah,” now replaced with very delicate ornamentation, especially in the first violins, that is depictive of Act I. The tune is played in a lower, more somber octave by clarinet, bassoon, and ‘celli. [The violoncello (plural violoncelli) instrument is more commonly known in its abbreviated form: cello.]

Il trovatore (“the troubadour”) premiered less than two months before La traviata; not surprisingly, there are unmistakable musical resemblances between the two; the orchestration of the gypsies and matadors in Act II, scene 2 springs instantly to mind. Yet the two couldn’t be more different—a testament to Verdi’s skill. Trovatore seems to stand out for its boldness and public displays; the characters are bigger than life and even the intimate moments are set in cold, dreadful locales. Traviata, on the other hand, even in the opening scene and at Flora’s party, seems desperately intimate. The party music which opens the opera, ravishingly urbane, suddenly becomes chamber music, with only 4 violins, 2 violas, one ‘cello and bass accompanying the private conversations. Another tutti outburst followed by the “chamber music,” but in a different key, is followed by the most famous music, the Brindisi, or drinking song, in which a solo character makes a toast (Here, it’s Alfredo) and then the company joins in. The Brindisi is common in Italian opera (there are examples in Verdi’s Otello and Macbeth, and Gilbert and Sullivan poked fun at it), but, curiously, the word comes from “(Ich) bring dir’s,” a very German phrase once used by knights to “offer you” a drink followed, presumably, by a toast.

LISTEN: The Brindisi as performed by Maria Callas and Giuseppe Di Stefano.

You can view an English translation of La Traviata to follow along with the excerpts. At the opera, we’ll have English supertitles above the stage.

Banda music (literally wind-instruments playing music from somewhere else) announce a dance.  Alfredo, concerned about Violetta’s health, stays behind to confront her, then to confess his love in “Un di felice.” This is one of many of Verdi’s three-quarter time (sometimes 6/8 time), slow “oom-plick-plick” pieces.  It’s a fun game to see how many of these can be cited and from which operas; there are many, to be sure, but no opera has more than La traviata. 

This particular “oom-plick-plick” piece is made more special by the tune Alfredo sings, “Di quell’amor.” 

 

The tune is emblematic of his love for Violetta and is repeated at several important moments in the opera, sometimes sung (Violetta sings it later in this act, recalling) and sometimes as underscoring in the orchestra. Violetta’s rejoinder in this duet, despite the “oom-plick-plick” underneath, couldn’t be more different: there is daring fioratura (ornamented or “flowered” music) to suggest he flee from her and that only friendship is possible.

 LISTEN: Un di felice—Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti (“Di quell’amor” is heard at 0:49; the fioratura begins at 1:34.)

In the stretta (refers to the closing of a scene, where music tightens up and usually gets faster) of Act I, the ensemble chatters about dawn ensuing and other parties to attend. (This music is very difficult for a chorus to enunciate this fast without rushing ahead of the orchestra! Left alone, Violetta now sings perhaps the most famous (and fearsome) of all soprano scenes in the repertoire. Called a “double-aria”, the first half of which is slow (“Ah, fors’e lui”) and the second half of which is fiendishly and recklessly difficult (“Sempre libera”), it requires every available tool in a soprano’s toolbox. The slow aria has a reiteration of Alfredo’s earlier line “Di quell’amor;” that emblem, sung in exactly the same manner, even in the same key, and at the end, a cadenza, very delicate and moving at the same time. Then, instantaneously, her mind suddenly changed, she launches into “always free;” music that is desperate, irresponsible and, at the same time, determined; music that characterizes the other side of Violetta.

 

LISTEN: Ah, fors’e lui/Sempre libera – Renata Tebaldi (The latter begins at 5:00.)

Stay tuned for future blog posts of what to listen for in the other acts of La Traviata - or download our Opera Insider today for the full article and more insider information on the entire 2015 Festival.