There is also no space today for Yoncheva (she’s talented, but the impression was equivocal; I’ll be discussing female vocal structuring soon), or on this matter of being moved, and why. I will also return to that, but for now will say that the sight of Violetta in her red dress, lying crumpled on the clock’s face in the Second Act finale, and then the sheer bleakness and stasis of the opera’s last moments, were certainly factors in my emotional response, and thus must in honesty be credited to the production. From indelible earlier Traviata experiences, what’s stuck has had to do with singing (Renata Tebaldi and, in Act II, Leonard Warren) or acting (Patricia Brooks, in Frank Corsaro’s production). If this one stays in the memory, it will be in the form of images.

So for next time [Aug. 18]: Attempted reconstruction of Fabiano’s “De’ miei bollenti spiriti,” with selected comparisons.

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P.S.: Personal historical trivia anent this scene: 1) At the first Traviata I ever saw, the Alfredo (Paolo, or Pablo, Civil) sported equestrian equipage, including jodhpurs and a riding crop, the latter being clasped firmly in front of him at thigh level as he delivered the aria directly to us. At age twelve, I was quite envious of the look. We must of course be sure to avoid the comic possibilities of the “Tennis, anyone?” sort of entrance, the wide-eyed take upon finding Violetta not present, and the handling of a firearm by an artiste who has clearly never met one. Still, something outdoorsy and manly is to this character’s advantage. 2) The first Revisionist version of the scene I recall encountering was for a proposed updated production at The Actor’s  Studio, directed by Walt Witcover, in the 1960s. He had Alfredo on film, singing while water-skiing. I’m not sure if the production was completed in that form, but I later saw some excellent work that Witcover did with young singers in his own workshop, and for a couple of years I taught operatic scene study classes at his beautifully equipped and maintained facility down in Chelsea.