Berkshire Opera Festival in Great Barrington
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Based on a book and play by Alexandre Dumas fils
Directed by Jonathan Loy
Conducted by Brian Garman
“Sempre Libera”
“Ever free” sings Violetta Valery near the end of the first act of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “La Traviata” (“The Fallen Woman”). For its 10th-anniversary season, Berkshire Opera Festival has chosen this masterwork as its primary feature, has cast it with extraordinary singing actors, and has opted for Verdi’s own orchestrations to accompany them, 56 members strong (including doubling). This is their finest work in the region and the second of three performances was almost completely sold out on Tuesday night. The audience cheers and bravi were definitely deserved at this performance. The Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington shook with the company’s triumph.
Vanessa Becerra sang Violetta with enthusiasm and purity of tone, but she was occasionally drowned out by the orchestra, particularly in the final scene when she had to speak her lines instead of singing them. She is a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice, but she does need to learn to project the spoken word. Her Violetta had flair and enthusiasm, but she lacked that dramatic energy to fully realize the role. I never felt her illness, though she was “ever free.”
On the other hand, Joshua Blue as her lover, Alfredo Germont, was magnificent. His strong tenor voice was occasionally overwhelming, particularly when director Jonathan Loy placed him in a stage box instead of behind the set at the end of Act One. Alfredo is a role with great human foibles, and Blue made us feel them as his affair with his lover, Violetta, progressed. Once again, Loy denied us one of the opera’s most alarming moments when Alfredo humiliates his lady by tossing his winnings in her face (ordinarily) at a party, marking her as a paid courtesan for all to see.
The third major performer in this opera plays the role of Alfredo’s father, who comes to beg Violetta to release his son in order to avoid the humiliation to his family that might spoil his daughter’s wedding. Weston Hurt sang this role, and his dulcet-toned rendition of his music in Act Two was beautiful but left him little room to grow for his third-act reunion with the dying woman. Still, I could listen to this man for hours as his baritone voice was lush and romantic.
There were no singers on this stage who failed us in any way whatsoever, and the final result was a fine and moving performance worth the time and the money. One special voice was that of Dr. Grenvil, bass-baritone John Cheek, whose words were sung with perfection in tone and strength. This man, who was a wonderful Germont at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976, just turned 77 this month, and he has lost none of the purity or accuracy in his voice.
Kalia Kellogg was an excellent Annina, and Erin Reppenhagen sang a fine Flora. Loy’s production had a few visual oddities. Scenic designer Hannah Postlethwaite’s design of Flora’s home presented a rear wall painted with a gigantic bull about to face off with its reflection in a mirror that made no sense for this courtesan’s Parisian home. The rest of her work was excellent. Choreographer Sara Erde made the dancers in the first act into a ballroom chorus line, which was wrong, and her Spanish dancer at Flora’s party was eccentric at best. Brooke Stanton’s costumes worked well, although Violetta seemed to be wearing only underwear in the first act and not a gown at all. These tiny annoyances are minor in the overall effect of Loy’s work, and the opera was given a fine and moving performance. That is really all that matters in the end. Brian Garman’s conducting was flawless, and the large orchestra provided the perfect, wonderful accompaniment to the work.
For a 10th-anniversary production, Berkshire Opera Festival proved itself worthy of all the love and support it can get from its audience. The program announces its 2026 presentation of Donizetti’s opera “Lucia di Lammermoor.” I can hardly wait.
“La Traviata” has one more performance at the Mahaiwe Theater on Friday, August 29. Try to see it if you can. It is theater to the nth degree. Call the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center at (877) 856-0788 or Berkshire Opera Festival at (413) 213-6622 for tickets.
