Critic - La Traviata

I've only been to the opera twice before and, if I'm honest, didn't enjoy either (The Magic Flute and The Long Walk), nor did I have a clue what was going on. But third time lucky at the National Opera in Covent Garden for Verdi"s La Traviata, an opera that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Julie and I (we do a lot together) were both scarred from previous dalliances with opera but were better prepared this time around. We had a good meal beforehand, visited the loo and read the synopsis. La Traviata is performed in Italian, so the synopsis was really helpful, as were the discrete subtitles displayed throughout.

Violeta is the tragic heroine of the story and, on this occasion, was played by the magnificent Angel Blue. It was fascinating to see that there are three divas rotating in the role and I could absolutely see why they don't do a long run. Angel's voice is stunning but the strain she puts it under to perform this three-part opera must be immense. I have seen a lot of musical theatre and the performers are always mice'd (miked?) - it was quite awe-inspiring to hear the incredible voices using their own projection and nothing else to fill the vast space. They were, of course, accompanied by a wonderful orchestra. The building is pretty impressive too and we enjoyed wandering around in the intervals.

Chatting with the very friendly lady in the seat next to me brought two further recommendations for "beginner" operas - Carmen and Madame Butterfly. Having thoroughly enjoyed my night at the opera, I shall definitely keep them in mind for future trips.