Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

A Masterpiece!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

La Traviata is one of my favourite operas of all time, and a contender for my personal favourite of Verdi's operas. Of the sublime music, I cannot get enough of Ditta Alla Giuvine and Addio Del Passato, I love Violetta as a lead character and the story is still heartfelt even if you hear and view the opera as many times as I have.While the 1982 Zeffirelli film is for me the ultimate La Traviata, this 2006 production has quickly become one of my favourites. The costumes and sets are truly sumptuous, while will please anybody who loves the costumes and sets to be beautiful like I do(except of course when they're deliberately not so), and the video directing is excellent. The orchestra and conducting have a wonderfully understated, genteel approach while never becoming dull.The performances are superb. My favourite is Renee Fleming as Violetta. I have always liked her a lot, and this is no exception. She has an amazing voice of great colour and agility and she is really quite poignant in her acting here. Her Addio Del Passato is one of the most beautiful renditions of that aria I've heard. Rolando Vilazon surprised me and in a good way, I like his voice very much, but I can find he overacts on stage. Here he is in control and interacts very well with Fleming, plus his singing is marvellous. Renato Bruson is a wonderfully sympathetic, concerned, overbearing and distinguished Germont, his Di Provenza is stunning(my personal favourite rendition of the production after Addio Del Passato) and his and Fleming's Ditta Alla Giuvine was very affecting.Overall, very effective and one of my favourites as of now. 10/10 Bethany Cox

You don't have to be an expert in opera to appreciate this version of La Traviata. As one of the most popular operas you may already be familiar with the story of a woman gone astray. If not, being an opera, you can probably figure it our easily enough.Tenor Rolando Villazon is excellent as Alfredo but the star of any production of La Traviata is the part of Violetta. Violetta is a role that sopranos are measured by and here Renee Fleming shines through. Beautiful and engaging, her performances of Ah, fors e lui and Sempre libera closing the first act of will leave you breathless. Comparing her performance to Callas, Sutherland, Angela Gheorghiu and others, she rates up there with the best.Sung in Italian with subtitles in English and 5 other languages, this is an entertaining 144 minutes for newcomers to opera as well as veterans.