The Opera Tattler

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Ailyn Pérez in SF Opera’s Traviata

Ailyn Pérez in La Traviata, photo by Chris Hardy * Notes *
Ailyn Pérez's turn at Violetta in San Francisco Opera's La Traviata yesterday night was impressive. She was a better match for Charles Castronovo (Alfredo) and did not overwhelm him, he did not seem nearly as quiet. Pérez had an appealing vulnerability, her performance was nuanced, and her high notes were never shrill. She had a few gasps here and there, but her breathing was generally under control. Castronovo sang with great sensitivity, he was a bit underpowered at the top of the Brindisi, but was otherwise fine. Dwayne Croft (Germont) still rushed a little, but sounded less strained than during opening night. The supporting cast sounded lovely as well, particularly Andrew Bidlack as Gastone and Renée Tatum as Annina. The chorus might have been the slightest bit off from the orchestra a few times, but continued to sound very pretty.

It was interesting to note the differences in staging. Pérez did not hang her legs out of the fancy car for her entrance, nor did she pull Castronovo into her bed at the end of Act I. Her costume for the first half of Act II was not a dressing gown, but a velvet dress with lace trim. She did not provoke inappropriate laughter as Netrebko and Futral did, despite the inane super-titles, perhaps because her performance was more engaging somehow.

* Tattling * 
There was almost no electronic noise in balcony standing room, a few hearing aid noises or stray microphones for OperaVision were heard. There was a little whispering.

The Orpheus Group was given a pre-performance tour of the Media Suite. There are eight robotic cameras in the house that are controlled backstage, as well as two fixed ones. Video editing is even done during the performance. We were taken to the stage just before curtain and were greeted by Castronovo himself.

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4 responses to “Ailyn Pérez in SF Opera’s Traviata”

  1. Belcanto Avatar
    Belcanto

    Ailyn Perez has a lovely voice and I believe she would be a good fit for Adina (L’Elisir D’Amore) or Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro). She definitely had less rehearsal time than Netrebko and Futral; she did not throw her shoes away in the ‘Sempre Libera’ and she was in the center of the stage when the carnival ballet dancers appear in the 3rd act (Netrebko and Futral were on the left side). Musically, Perez gave an okay performance, her ‘Sempre Libera’ had pitch problems. Dramatically, she did not offer the nuances that Futral and Netrebko brought to the role. Maybe, as the Germont pere says “col tempo…” Ailyn Perez will mature her Violetta.

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  2. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I noticed Perez was sharp at times, but it didn’t bother me nearly as much as Futral’s shrillness (I had a strong physiological response to her “Sempre Libera,” and it wasn’t the one she was going for.) or Netrebko’s overwhelming volume. Futral did not throw her shoes last time around either.
    I must admit, I was at the back of the balcony and did not watch Perez’s performance that closely, even with the OperaVision screens. For Netrebko and Futral I had second and third chances to pick up how they moved and so forth.

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  3. Not For Fun Only Avatar
    Not For Fun Only

    I find myself in disagreement with Belcanto, for I thought Perez had more musical variety in her performance than Netrebko. I believe that she at least exhibited more dynamic range & was convincingly frail, whereas Netrebko always sounded robust. It is no great loss that shoes were not thrown around in the non-Netrebko performances.

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  4. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Netrebko had a certain dark robustness, true.

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