Conductor(s):
Mark Elder

Orchestra(s):
The Glyndebourne Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra

Artist(s):
Venera Gimadieva; Michael Fabiano; Tassis Christoyannis; Emanuele D’Aguanno; Magdalena Molendowska; Hanna Hipp; Eddie Wade; Oliver Dunn; Graeme Broadbent; The Glyndebourne Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Mark Elder

"The alluring Venera Gimadieva, based at the Bolshoi, makes a most impressive Violetta, singing with a vibrant clarity that never wobbles, even at pianissimo – inevitably, she puts one in mind of Netrebko, but her musical discipline is superior.
... there can be no doubt of his [Mark Elder's] mastery of the opera’s dramatic shape and instrumental palette, flawlessly rendered by the London Philharmonic. Even the most banal of accompaniments is made meaningful, with every phrase thoughtfully nuanced; the singers are supported, but the orchestration is honoured too – not least in ravishing accounts of the Preludes. " (The Daily Telegraph ★★★★)

"The temptation to make a loud statement in this, the first new production of Verdi’s La traviata at Glyndebourne in over 25 years, must have been enormous. But director Tom Cairns resists it with such intelligence and quiet skill that in refusing to make the definitive Traviata-for-our-times he may well have done just that....
Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva is a beguiling and utterly believable Violetta, laughing in giddy cascades of quavers in “Sempre libera” before growing into poised maturity and big legatos for her confrontation with Germont – a singular and striking company debut.
Mark Elder coaxes the London Philharmonic Orchestra into fragile pianissimos and delicately unfolding phrases. His Verdi, like Cairns’, is exploratory and questioning, never forcing a conclusion or overworking his material. The combination is fresh and thrillingly unfamiliar, a Traviata that glances to the past while stepping resolutely into opera’s emotional and dramatic future." (The Independent ★★★★)

"Having Venera Gimadieva in the role makes such an approach much easier to bring off. She is a soprano of huge presence, compelling to watch, with a voice of thrilling security and range, and a special quality to her quieter singing that makes you hang on every note. It's a remarkable, touching Glyndebourne debut, and she's paired with an Alfredo, Michael Fabiano, whose singing has real zest and attack..." (The Guardian ★★★★)

"A stupendous tension, rather than just a deep sadness leading to the usual indulgent weepfest, informs the entire performance...
I’ve never seen a production so alive to all the emotional confusion and psychological complexity, if reluctant to provide easy resolutions." (The Arts Desk ★★★★★)

"His [Mark Elder's] conducting is extremely fine once more, managing to be lucid and intelligent, thrillingly dramatic and lovingly shaped. The playing of the LPO is of supremely high quality throughout, while the cast features a genuinely exciting leading couple. Venera Gimadieva and Michael Fabiano, as Violetta and Alfredo, both sing with an almost languid, big-voiced ease that’s a pleasure to witness. Her sound is creamy and penetrating, with Act I’s fireworks cleverly and convincingly negotiated; his is virile and exciting, although perhaps a little unstintingly so at times." (The Spectator)

"You're never very far from the next Traviata, so something special was needed to revive the jaded appetite for Verdi's miraculous but over-familiar score. This was it. Three ideally cast lead singers and Glyndebourne choristers carrying all before them were blest, in Mark Elder, with a conductor capable of shaping and exploring the music so that it gleamed like new." (The Arts Desk ★★★★)

"Beneath the long lines he [Mark Elder] coaxes from the London Philharmonic, he gives the music a precise rhythmic pulse and draws revealing contrapuntal threads at the least expected moments. All the usual cuts are opened out." (The Financial Times)

"Sumptuous of voice at every turn of this supremely challenging role, [Gimadieva] looks wonderful ...


From the off it is clear that those in the pit are inspired – in the Prelude Mark Elder draws a diaphanous response from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and as Act succeeds Act the gamut of moods to be found in this miraculous score, from ebullience to deep sadness, is sensitively and dynamically realised and amply displays the opera's rich variety.

All the many excellences of this production have been very successfully captured on this Opus Arte DVD, not only because the audio is very good – singers and orchestra immediate and finely balanced – but also because it has been has filmed with integrity by François Roussillon, whether it be the opera’s more intimate moments (with many apposite close-ups) or the more-populated scenes." (Classical Source)