Word: sopranoes
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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...
...finally, this is soprano Dominique Labelle's debut in the lead role of Violetta Valery and her second performance with the Boston Lyric (she debuted with last season's Lucia de Lamermoor...
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...
Emily Browder, a faculty member at the New School of Music in Cambridge, convincingly plays the charming Mattie Silver, Ethan's love. Her soprano voice conveys the lightness and beauty of her character, literally breathing fresh air into the opera. Emily perfectly captures the spirit of the naive Mattie who--all alone in the world and pursued by men--still managers to keep her innocence. The petite, red-haired Browder shines in the role, a natural foil to Anita Constanzo's embittered Zeena. Although at first Constanzo's performance seems too rough in her expression of anger, the audience soon...
...Anne, for whom the idea of marital duty is confined to being cheerful around her husband. Henrik, a young seminarian, is equally naive and is confused by the attraction he feels for Anne. The three lament their bizarre love triangle in a musical trio, though only Beurteaux's beautiful soprano can be heard consistently...