Oberon's Grove: Enthralling TRAVIATA at The Met

Above: Ermonela Jaho as Violetta; photo by Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera

Sunday January 8th, 2023 matinee - One of the most thrilling Met performances in recent years, today's matinee of LA TRAVIATA centered on the mesmerizing Violetta of the Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho. Her colleagues - the Spanish tenor Ismael Jordi and the Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat - aligned perfectly with the beloved diva, and a strong supporting cast joined the stellar trio to make Verdi's masterpiece come vividly to life.

Ms. Jaho's voice sounded rather dry and throaty at first, but by the time the Brindisi was being sung, she had found her vocal footing, and she sent her incandescent, spinning upper notes gleaming into the hall. In "Un di felice" Mr. Jordi proved himself a perfect partner for the soprano; their timbres blended to spine-tingling effect, their sustained, tapering harmonies displaying a shared gift for piano/pianissimo colourings. A wonderfully intimate atmosphere was created.

Now alone on the great stage, Ms. Jaho drew us deep into the character's thoughts with the hushed introspection of her "Ah, fors e lui" in which the lines were spun out to delectable effect. Her "Sempre libera" was subtle rather than extroverted, the silvery top notes lingering magically in the air, the final note sustained until the curtain fell.

In Act II, Violetta's fragile happiness is shattered by the intrusion of Alfredo's father. Throughout their long scene together, Ms. Jaho made every note and word count; in phrase after phrase, the soprano put up a valiant fight to keep her world from from falling apart. The whispered desperation of "Era felice troppo,..", the terrified uttering of "Gran dio!" when Germont tells her that her love for his son is hopeless, the bitter resignation of "Cosi alla misera..." were all part of the Jaho magic, leading to her surrender with the hushed tracery of "Dite alla giovine..." upon which her fate is sealed.

In Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Ms. Jaho had an ideal vocal partner, for the rich-timbred baritone could scale his tone down to a fine piano. And even though he is winning, this Germont could not help but be touched by Violetta's suffering, since Ms. Jaho's expressive vulnerability could move a heart of stone.

The plaintive clarinet solo as Violetta writes her farewell letter to Alfredo has never sounded so forlorn. Despite the conductor's bungling of the accompaniment, "Amami, Alfredo...!" made its usual heart-breaking effect.

The tension at Flora's party was palpable, and even while arguing, Ms. Jaho and Mr. Jordi could not stop themselves from embracing. But she keeps her resolve and bravely faces his denunciation. Mr. Jordi's instant realization of the damage he has done was indeed touching, and as Ms. Jaho sang to him of her enduring love in "Alfredo, Alfredo, di questo core" she slowly crossed the stage and knelt before him where he sat, shunned by all, and tried to comfort him.

The crushing sadness of the opera's final scene seemed more poignant than ever today, with Ms. Jaho's hypnotic reading of Germont's letter, and the alternating currents of despair and of a passionate desire to live that pulsed thru the soprano's multi-hued singing of "Addio del passato", gnawed at my heart. The fleeting joy of their reunion, the sweetly harmonized, desperate hope of "Parigi, o cara..." and the bitter realization that it is all too late felt so real, and so devastating, today.

Throughout my sixty years of opera-going, having seen so many memorable Violettas - from Albanese to Zylis-Gara - I must say that Ermonela Jaho has assumed a unique place in that pantheon. Meeting her briefly after the performance, all I could say to her was "I love you!"

Above: Ismael Jordi as Alfredo and Amartuvshin Enkhbat as Germont; photo by Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera

Mr. Jordi, tall and slender, was a truly convincing Alfredo both vocally and dramatically. His ardent, pleasing lyricism made his duets with Ms. Jaho so appealing, and his singing of the Act II aria was most beautifully and persuasively phrased, although his sustained top-C in the cabaletta was ungraciously covered by Armiliato's thoughtlessness. A handsome and compelling actor, Mr. Jordi captured the youthfulness, rebelliousness, wild jealousy, and desperate remorse of the young man to perfection.

Mr. Enkhbat sounded glorious in the big hall. One of the many voices to emerge triumphant from the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition - he won the Audience Prize there in 2015 - he is most welcome at The Met. Displaying a rich, darkish, and powerful sound, Mr. Enkhbat showed a natural affinity for the Verdian line, and brought to the music a wealth of dynamic nuance. His great aria, "Di Provenza", was gloriously sung, and he even made me like the ensuing cabaletta, "No, non udrai rimproveri " which I normally find holds up the action; today I found myself wishing for the second verse, the better to savour the Enkhbat voice. The baritone won a huge volley of cheers at his curtain calls, and we can only hope that we shall be hearing him here again very soon.

Edyta Kulczak made a lovely impression as Flora, with Christopher Job as her admirer d'Obigny. Paul Corona was a powerfully-sung Dr. Grenvil, and Scott Scully a lively Gastone. Patrick Miller actually made something out of Giuseppe's lines, and Jonathan Scott delivered Violetta's message firmly. Mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel created a moving Annina, singing handsomely as Violetta's faithful maid. I had been looking forward to hearing John Hancock as Baron Douphol, but Dwayne Croft stepped in and sounded very impressive. In the silent role of Mlle. Germont, my dancer/friend Allegra Herman was a poignant witness to Violetta's death; I was moved by the moment when Alfredo embraced his sister, showing that he bore her no ill will in the end.

In the pit, Marco Armiliato's pacing was very fine, and he allowed the singers leeway to sustain lines and to introduce piano effects at just the right moments. But he also sometimes covered the singers, which seems to be pretty commonplace at The Met these days.

It was a great pleasure for me to join in the ecstatic ovation for Ms. Jaho at the end. I felt a curious need to go to the stage door and thank the singers personally, but with my innate shyness I was unable to express myself adequately once I stepped up to meet them. Of course, after they had all left, I thought of so many things I should have said.

Just my luck: my pen ran out of ink as Mr. Enkhbat was signing; Mr. Jordi was extremely cordial:

Ms. Jaho was so kind, and so understanding: