Opera sings love's tragedy

Courtesy of David Smith Photography Jennifer Larson and Michael Burgess star in "La Traviata."

By Kelly Lutes
For the Daily

They don't call Paris the city of lovers for nothing. Giuseppe Verdi's classic opera "La Traviata," or "The Woman Gone Astray," is one of those love stories that helps give Paris its name. Loosely based upon the life of Marie Dupleiss, a French courtesan who captivated some of Paris' most prominent male citizens in the 19th Century, La Traviata tells the story of a poor young Frenchman named Alfredo Germont. Alfredo falls madly in love with an intelligent and beautiful prostitute, Violetta Valéry.

After some pursuit, Violetta realizes that Alfredo is unlike any man she has ever known; he is the first man who loves her for who she is and not what she does or how much she costs. Just when the pair seems destined for happiness, tragedy ensues. Violetta harbors a secret that even love cannot heal while Alfredo's father attempts to rip the two lovers apart to save his son's reputation. Violetta and Alfredo struggle against the tide of misfortune, but the tale is destined to end in sorrow.

The story takes place in the demimondaine portion of Paris, an area director Heiner Pillar describes as being known for "naughty and questionable activities." The students playing these roles will have to project the atmosphere of the demimondaine onto their characters, but Pillar believes this should be no problem for the singers. "Students are the right age to play these characters and have the right frame of mind to be adventuresome," Pillar said.

The storyline was first immortalized in Alexandre Dumas' book "La Dame aux Camélias," in 1848. In this overwhelmingly popular account, Dumas fictionalized and fantasized about his own relationship with Marie Dupleiss. The novel was quickly transformed into a play and eventually written into an opera by Giuseppe Verdi in 1853. It was not an immediate classic, though. The first production failed miserably, due in large part to the miscasting of Violetta. Verdi was unwilling to let the opera die and rewrote it soon after. "La Traviata" has been a favorite in the international repertory ever since.

Verdi's own relationship with the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi also may have influenced his portrayal of Violetta. Said to be the great love of his life, Strepponi bore several illegitimate children during her singing career and lived with Verdi before they were married. Like Violetta, she was considered a traviata, or fallen woman.

"La Traviata" has several famous arias worthy of attention and each is perfectly orchestrated in respect to the drama unfolding onstage. The 43-piece University Symphony Orchestra will perform the score, while the all-student cast sings the original Italian lyrics to Verdi's musical masterpiece. Not to worry if your Italian is a bit rusty, each poetic and heart-wrenching word will be translated into English and displayed as supertitles above the stage.

This University Production is a consolidated effort by four renowned designers and directors: Pillar directs, Martin Katz conducts, and Antonin and Olga Dimitrov are responsible for the extensive collection of costumes and sets.

Pillar summarized his experience on La Traviata by saying, "the first difference (between a student show and a professional show) is that you start out with an empty canvas. Students are totally open and free to new ideas. It was refreshing to work with people willing to experiment."

With as much talent behind the scenes as on stage, the opera should easily live up to the precedent of past productions. If not, Verdi's music and the his unforgettable lovers should still keep audience members glued to the edge of their seats.

A review of "La Traviata" will run in tomorrow's Daily. The performance plays tonight through Saturday at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets for the opera are $7 for students with ID at the League Ticket Office. Each student is limited to two tickets. Call 764-0450 for more information.

11-12-98