Word: operas
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...Opera ultimately belongs to the singers, however, and La Traviata was no exception. All the performers, leads and chorus alike, showed remarkable vocal prowess and passion, and among the minor characters mezzo-soprano Gale Fuller's charming and coquettish Flora Bervoix (a courtesan whose wardrobe is far more scandalous than that of Violetta) was especially memorable and a well-needed break from the heavy tragedy of the rest of the opera...
...weakest of the leads was tenor Rojas in the role of Alfredo, his sophomore performance with the BLO (after debuting triumphantly last year in Werther). Alfredo goes from one emotional extreme to another in the course of the opera--love, ecstasy, awe, anger, revenge and loss is a lot for three short acts--and the role consequently requires an actor who is able to convey this both dramatically and musically...
...intense, if at times in a middle vocal range that makes it hard to project--but acting-wise, Rojas has fallen into the the trap of the magnificent singer who is plauged with an inability to act convincingly. He did seem to open up through the course of the opera, but his slightly grotesque nuzzling of the deathbed-ridden Violetta seemed contrived and ingenuine...
Most of the opera, however, belonged to soprano Labelle, completely entrancing in the title role of Violetta Valery. After making her debut last year in BLO's Lucia de Lammermoor Labelle was named The Boston Globe 1997 Musician of the Year, and with good reason. Her vocal and stylistic range is almost unfathomable: in the course of roughly 10 minutes at the end of the first act, she goes from airy coquettish high notes to the wistful, delicate "Goodbyes" to the passionate lament of the "misterioso" theme that haunts the entire opera. She pulls off coloratura singing--that ornamented style...
Looking at what Boston Lyric can do with their first show in a new venue, it's understandable that they are one of the fastest-growing opera companies in the world. If this sumptuous and thrilling production of La Traviata is any indication of what this not-so-little "company that could" can do on a first try, Bostonians--blue-bloods and musical thrill-seekers alike--have a lot to look forward...