As if anyone could forget the sexual undercurrent running beneath the opera or the pall of death hanging over it. Even as the locations change from one opulent parlor to another, a bed sits incongruously at the center of the stage all night, a dumbly literal reminder that Violetta has made her career there and will end her days there, too. Gilded floral reliefs give the room a rococo - make that three more cos - glitziness, until they detach from the walls for the second act to represent the lovers deluxe rustic retreat. The only set, designed by Christine Jones, is a circular room with a hole in the ceiling that occasionally lets in snow or a chandelier that looks like it’s made of Post-Its and chicken wire. Susan Hilferty outfits le tout Paris in Marzipan-colored costumes that Elton John might consider a little much. Michael Mayer, who directs the Metropolitan Opera’s new production, makes the decision easier by making the sparkly life so unsexy and over-sugared that the last act’s deathbed bleakness comes off as refreshingly spare. Verdi makes that choice a real one by giving each side of music memorable specificity.

La Traviata opens with an act of renunciation: Violetta gives up glamour for the possibility of love. New York time and will be available for 20 hours thereafter. We republish it today as the Metropolitan Opera, closed for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, will be streaming video of this production tonight. Photo: Marty Sohl/The Metropolitan OperaĮditor’s note: This review was originally published in December 2018. Diana Damrau and Juan-Diego Flórez in La Traviata.

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