THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410160090
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opera review
SOURCE: BY LEE TEPLY, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
At the Harrison Opera House Friday, Virginia Opera opened its 20th season with a lavish production, rich in details of scenery and costuming, of Verdi's ``La traviata.'' Conductor Peter Mark led the musicians through a solid performance, the dramatic success of which was largely due to the combined singing and acting talents of the opera's title character.
As Violetta, soprano Eilana Lappalainen, who appeared as Liu in last season's ``Turandot,'' got off to a slow start. She sang messy turns and had an unfocused sound in her lower range. But by her important solo scene at the end of the first act, she was completely warmed up, settling into a clearer tone with marvelous high notes and excitingly clean coloratura. Her considerable acting skills here showed her inner conflict, as she weighed the possibilities of her present life as a courtesan against those of a more traditional woman.
The depth in Lappalainen's performance drew viewers through her torment and despair. Just one of many captivating moments was the end of ``Addio del passato,'' Violetta's farewell to happiness. Here, lying face down on the floor, she stunned the audience into silence as she mourned her loss of life. No one dared applaud and break the tension of the moment.
In comparison, the two male leads were mostly one-dimensional figures. Tenor Michael Lynn Galanter began his interpretation of Alfredo, Violetta's lover, as a boyish dandy. Only when his anger was aroused in the third act did he begin to come to life. Vocally, however, he gave a solid performance throughout, reaching his pleasing high tone with little apparent effort.
As Alfredo's father, Douglas Nagel backed away from his high range and sang with caution most of the evening. He turned one of Verdi's great baritone roles into a stick figure with no personality. The important second-act scene with Violetta was an unfortunate victim of his nonacting.
In smaller roles, Caryn Lerner gave Flora much more personality and humor than is usually seen, and her vocal performance was strong as well. Lou-Anne Drechsler and W. Gardner Rhea suitably filled the roles of the maid and the doctor. The chorus sang very well but acted without facial expression, making it hard to believe that two acts took place at exciting parties, and greatly weakening the tension at the end of Act III.
Though this problem may be the fault of stage director Bliss Hebert, the rest of his staging was sufficiently dramatic, even though the male leads did not often bring it to life. The sets, taken from Eduardo Sicangco's 1989 production for the Virginia Opera, are quite detailed and evocative. In particular, the autumnal second-act set, with its fading leaves, foreshadows Violetta's own death.
The costumes, designed by Allen Charles Klein, were equally successful in painting a sumptuous picture of wealthy Parisian life. Indeed, the masquerade ball made much of its impact through its costumes. Steven Bryant's wigs completed the realistic picture.
The orchestra of Virginia Symphony members played well, the strings being particularly sensitive in the prelude to the first act. Mark's control of the combined forces was secure, and his pacing of the entire evening was, for the most part, logical. However, he was unable to sustain the tension of key dramatic moments through overly slow tempos, as at the end of the third act.
Nor did he draw some important musical details out of the orchestra, such as the throbbing dissonances at the start of the last act. by CNB