Warner Music Verdi La Traviata

If on a desert island, give me Act II and I would live happily ever after!! Hail to Queen Fleming!

The only other American Blu-ray release of La Traviata was a sumptuous and filmic production, but it suffered from less than adequate acting and especially singing. This outing is decidedly more theatrical, but it is just as glorious and the performances and singing are simply stellar. Fleming, despite her protestations that she's "only" done this role for five or so years, is at the height of her interpretative and technical powers in the role of Violetta, and this performance will be a new benchmark by which others are measured. The entire production glistens with nuance and intensity. Highly recommended .

This Blu-ray disc, courtesy of newcomers Arthaus Musik, offers an intriguing rendition of Verdi's classic La Traviata as envisioned by Italian film director Liliana Cavani. It is notably reserved and with a distinctive cinematic look which some may not find particularly pleasing. I did and think that Liliana Cavani's rather contemporary treatment works quite well with Maestro Maazel's flawless command of the orchestra. This being said, the audio treatment here is somewhat disappointing. Balance is problematic to say the least and probably something many will find impossible to ignore given how high Opus Arte have raised the bar with their Blu-ray releases.