Five years into the apocalypse (or is it nine?) and it’s safe to say that life has once again hit its stride in Atlanta, which welcomed another November in classic style: Unpredictable and dramatic temperature drops, spirited elections, and the opening of the Atlanta Opera 2025-26 season with performances of Verdi’s La Traviata, which warrant another entry into these recollections. This marks the third time that Verdi’s evergreen masterpiece has served to open the Atlanta Opera season, and for Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun perhaps a personal score has been settled, at least with this blog. You see, back in April of 2019 when the opera was last staged under his watch in a glitzy new production by Francesca Zambello, this blog declared Mr. Zvulun’s six-year reign as established and stable, with rumors of the company’s unconfirmed programing of Wagner’s Ring Cycle gathering momentum in the dark interwebs – Atlanta’s intrepid General & Artistic Director seemed primed to lead the company into an exciting new chapter – and I jinxed it all by shouting “hooray”. As we all know by now, it all went kaput the following March, though much to Mr. Zvulun’s credit, only temporarily so. As other companies folded under the new normal, the Atlanta Opera company has since cemented an avant garde presence through its Discovery Series, enjoyed a healthy partnership with the Alliance Theater and continues to offer 5 mainstage productions, one of which is Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, set to close the current season and the company’s first Ring Cycle. This is a veritable feat for which we owe Mr. Zvulun and his administration a great deal of gratitude.
Gentile thoughts aside, lets get to the gore…
This revival of Francesca Zambello’s production revealed the bulk of her innovations to be already past their expiration date. The scenes which refashion Violetta’s private quarters as a desolate hospital ward do not serve the action beyond their striking visual contrast against the rich and extravagant treatment lavished upon the Parisian demimonde. As originally mentioned at its unveiling in 2019, it is the more conventional elements of the production which contribute best by promoting uncomplicated coherence. Through the work of Associate Director Joshua Horowitz and Assistant Director Andrea Beasom, the relationships between characters were allowed to naturally develop in ways that evaded the original effort (even the party guests are allowed to be a jovial bunch), promoting a safe space for the principals to anchor themselves as they battled the frenetic pace dictated from the pit.
As heard on the opening night performance last Saturday, Conductor Evan Rogister, in his Atlanta Opera debut, delivered a sui generis reading of Verdi’s La Traviata. Perhaps as a way to illustrate the tragic fate of the real-life Marie Duplessis, or as a way to reintroduce two commonly omitted numbers back into the score, his is a cynical vision of the score, light on romance, a world where joy is fleeting while the hardships of life are allowed to marinade. As early as the opera’s famous prelude, the conductor put the audience on notice by favoring fast, uncompromising tempi which relentlessly drove the music forward, often at the risk of misshaping melodic phrasings beyond recognition. This is a valid artistic position, but one with consequences when applied to the complexities of live performance, with both chorus and principals noticeably denied a proper ribcage expansion while negotiating his breakneck speeds.
Often painted into uncomfortable corners by such metric rigors was the Violetta of Armenian soprano Mané Galoyan, who returns to Atlanta after a promising debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni two years ago. Despite retaking her stage duties after a recent pregnancy in expedited fashion, her soprano retains many of the qualities which so impressed as Mozart’s Spanish heroine. Hers is a soaring voice, with a haunting disembodied quality, framed by a pale brilliance. As heard today, the make and model of her instrument is full lyric with aspirations to a baby spinto. But if Donna Anna calls to mind a statuesque ideal, Violetta offers opportunities into a character of greater relevance, of which Ms. Galoyan’s proclivities were unable to take full advantage of throughout the opera’s first act. Her vocalism, though often impressive, lacks the incisive edge to establish the vital exuberance and charisma of the celebrated party girl. Her frequent negotiation of the dizzying pace set for the famous brindisi and her first duet with Alfredo rattled the accuracy of her pitch and the beat of her phrasing – and while Evan Rogister’s baton adopted a more sensible approach for the great scena which concludes Act I, the collective tug and pull surely contributed to the soprano’s derailment during the famous cabaletta. “Sempre Libera” where she bailed out of the final sequence of staccato high Cs and reverted to marking, simplifying variations meant to dazzle the audience at the close of Act I on the spot.
Near disaster aside, Act II found Ms. Galoyen in decidedly improved form and more than capable of making a compelling case for herself. The interactions with Giorgio Germont in that fascinating extended duet which crowns the first scene of Act II were vividly realized through a voice able to conjure pathetic restrain through silvery hues, and convincingly protest the various demands of her lover’s father. The scene also served to illustrate Ms. Galoyan’s deep connection with Violetta as a character, through the heroine’s quiet digestion of the irony in the older man’s sermon as she despaired over the repercussions of the decision set before her. It was also in this scene where those hypnotic features of her stage deportment which were noticed back in 2023 were in evidence, possibilities of which neither wig & makeup designer Lindsey Ewing nor costume designer Jess Goldstein were able to fully capitalize on. Act III of Verdi’s La Traviata proved most congenial to Ms. Galoyen’s natural propensities, affording her the opportunity to portray the extreme emotions of the dying Violetta through her soft-edged soprano, made up of huffs and puffs which rolled over the auditorium like a hazy mist. In the end, she vindicated the unevenness of her initial effort by way of a well-crafted finale. Greater synergy with the pit in subsequent performances will surely work out many of the barriers which conspired to deny her a more triumphant opening.
As Alfredo, tenor Long Long confirmed the favorable impressions made at the time of his Atlanta Opera debut as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme last year. Comparing his merits with those of Mario Chang (our original Alfredo from 2019) Mr. Long’s instrument has a gentler core, and his Alfredo is less hot-tempered, favoring a more well-mannered lover instead (he is more of a Fenton than an Edgardo). This allowed Mr. Long greater access to the higher passages, including an optional high C to cap the end of his Act II scena. His poised and elegant tenor also empowered Mr. Long to find ways to overcome the straightjacketing from the pit, remaining valiantly on pitch throughout his exposed duets. Devoid of the thematic complexities plaguing his leading lady, the evening found the tenor often anchoring ensembles (such as the keynote duet with Violetta in Act I) from further derail, through vocalism that projected a well-groomed dandy of higher breeding, while a certain juvenile streak in scenes of despair keeping his assumption from greater praise.
In the role of the older Germont, Anthony Clark Evans provided appropriate contrast. He introduced himself to Atlanta Opera audiences by virtue of a ringing and vibrant baritone which filled the theater in exciting ways. His sound is penetrating, and possesses alpha qualities that would have garnered attention in the not-so-distant past. It certainly lent his impersonation an authoritative confidence, which proved frustratingly convincing as he mansplained the ways of the world to the young Violetta. As reward for his handling of the celebrated aria “Di Provenza il mar, il suol”, conductor Evan Rogister reopened its often-omitted sibling for the young baritone, the cabaletta “No, non udrai rimproveri”. Mr. Evans futher sealed his triumphant debut by closing the act’s curtain with a Herculian alternate high B-flat.
La Traviata boasts an extensive list of secondary roles, which included a standout performance by mezzo-soprano Ilanna Starr, a first year Atlanta Opera Studio artist, as Violetta’s ride of die friend Flora. Out of the remaining comprimario assignments, the Dr. Grenvil of bass-baritone David Crawford also demanded attention, most noteworthy in the concertato that closes the final scene of Act II.
There are two performances left of the Atlanta Opera’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata. For ticket information, or to learn more about the company’s 2025-26 season, please visit www.atlantaopera.org
-Daniel Vasquez