Devastating – in the best way possible
St Paul’s Opera delivered an overwhelmingly powerful performance of Verdi’s La Traviata this Friday, replete with feeling and artistry. Directors Edwina Strobl and Adrian Salinero deserve an extra round of applause, for it is quite a challenge to handle a work of such magnitude with such finesse, especially on a modest budget. At times, it was hard to believe that such an exceptional cast had assembled in a small church in Clapham rather than on the stage of a major national opera house. The principals and the chorus were stellar, especially soprano Lizzie Ryder, who had the raw dramatic force of Elīna Garanča’s Carmen balanced with the tenderness, sensuality, and emotional vulnerability that make for a compelling Violetta.
Composed in 1853, Verdi’s tragic opera tells the story of a glamorous Parisian courtesan cruelly ravaged by fate. Already gravely ill with tuberculosis, Violetta Valéry falls in love with the respectable Alfredo Germont and, despite her initial doubts about whether her past will allow her happiness, decides to build a new life with him. Their idyll is shattered, however, when Alfredo’s father begs Violetta to leave his son for the sake of the family’s honour, insisting that his daughter’s marriage prospects depend upon it. Violetta makes the devastating sacrifice, abandoning not only the love of her life, but also her last comfort as a sick woman close to death. It is a brave decision that ultimately transforms her into one of opera’s richest and most demanding heroines.
SPO’s production of La Traviata set out to celebrate the radical dimensions of Verdi’s work, which foregrounds the humanity of a ‘fallen woman’. First performed in London in 1856, the opera was an instant scandal, with moralising Victorian critics outraged by the sympathetic portrayal of a courtesan. But ‘restoring the shock and subversion’ of the original for a modern audience requires, as Strobl recognised, a great deal of thought. It is no longer contentious for Violetta Valéry to grace the London stage; if anything, it has become commonplace. So, to keep the provocative elements of La Traviata alive, SPO took inspiration from the local area. Since Vivienne Westwood – the famous punk fashion designer – lived in Clapham, Pin Chen designed a line of bold outfits that paired beautifully with the riotous party and carnival scenes of 19th-century Paris, as well as with the high drama of a Romantic opera. It certainly lent some extra spice to the fortune tellers and matadors of Act II as they spilled into the audience.
Among the production’s many triumphs, two moments deserve special attention: the chorus’ admonition of Alfredo’s ‘payment’ at the end of Act II, and Violetta’s death scene in Act III. In the case of the chorus’ admonition, the technical precision with which they hurled their wrath at the vengeful Alfredo – after he dared to pay Violetta for her ‘services’ – was masterful. And in the case of Violetta’s death scene, Ryder’s agonising performance of a consumptive woman’s final hours was enough to bring the audience to tears. She unearthed a desperate anger in the aria that was truly stirring, and her movements were choreographed to match. As the aria drew to a close, Ryder tucked herself into a corner of the white drapery at the back of the stage, tugging every fold of the curtain into her stomach until there was nothing left. Her execution of this simple sequence was at once feeble and heroic, capturing the paradoxical indignity of even the most dignified death. There are many moments in this opera that I will undoubtedly replay in my mind. Overall, a stunning achievement from SPO.