La Traviata National Opera House, Wexford ★★★☆☆ The final presentation in Irish National Opera ’s current season is Verdi’s popular favourite La Traviata, with an opening night in Wexford followed by a run in Dublin this week and then two nights in Cork. The season, having offered a number of triumphs, including La Bohème , Salome and Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade with the Irish Baroque Orchestra, now closes with a production in which the success is more mixed. Happily, what’s best are the strong vocal performances of the three lead roles: the lovers Violetta and Alfredo, and Alfredo’s catastrophically interfering father, Giorgio Germont.
The baritone Brett Polegato, singing Germont, appears under pressure with some of his top notes on opening night, yet his forceful but emotionally nuanced tone when commanding poor Violetta to leave his son is just what his long and complex scene with her requires, notably as his demeanour gradually softens from its initial roughness. The tenor Mario Chang sings Alfredo with a classic, seemingly effortless bel canto. It’s a beautiful sound, perfectly matched to the love that motivates his character.
Verdi, of course, places the greatest demands in range, dynamics and high-flying agility on Violetta, and Amanda Woodbury meets every challenge with strength and colour. The soprano’s voice dances through the famous drinking song in act one, graphically encapsulates the sudden rupture of happiness caused by Germont’s interve.