3rd is the lucky one. Traviata at the Met. It was THE one!

.

The 3rd performance of Traviata at the Met just ended. It was soooo different from the premiere night. I don't know how it was when Mr Armiliato conducted, but Steven White held everything together perfectly. Great debut at the Met! It was like he was breathing with the singers. He was glued to Angela. Sometimes I felt like she was the conductor. Her voice was very confident. There was a beautiful ending for Sempre libera and an amazing concertato in the end of act 2. I instantly thought I would love this part to go on and on, forever. Not to mention Addio del passato. It was one of the most beautiful ones I've heard during a live broadcast. This should have been the premiere night.

.

Thomas Hampson's voice seemed a little bit odd. I don't know why. But you know, when you're just listening without seeing the sets and characters that can distract the attention, the brain focuses on the voice. Many times I thought he was just a little bit behind Angela. Or like he's chewing something. Maybe it wasn't his best night.
This was his 200th performance at the Met.

.

James Valenti did good again. People love him very much. even there was a momentary disconfort in his cabaletta at the beginning of the second act and that high C was not supported at all, that was only a small detail. The pleasure of singing tonight was obvious.

.

If at the premiere I liked it simply because Angela was there, tonight I heard THE Traviata. Good luck for the rest of the performances! Just as fun fact, the performance tonight had a special guest - a cell phone, that rung at the beginning of the first act :)

.
And some excerpts. Besides E strano and Teneste la promesssa (that I posted also one week ago) I thought you might like to hear the concertato from the second act and the finale. Enjoy!
.
Un di felice - James Valenti

.
E strano... Ah, forse lui... Sempre libera - Angela Gheorghiu
.
Dite alla giovine - Angela Gheorghiu & Thomas Hampson
.
Concertato in the end of act 2

.
Teneste la promessa... Addio del passato - Angela Gheorghiu

.
Se una pudica vergine - Angela Gheorghiu

.