| La Traviata, TB, AIDS and me... |
[Sep. 15th, 2005|10:41 pm] |
I cried. Which is exactly what I want from an opera like La Traviata. I want my emotions to be pushed and pulled all over the place.
Violetta was played by a young Russian, Elvira Fatykhova, and she had a stunningly good voice. Alfredo was a Puerto Rican, Rafael Davila, who was also excellent.
It made me think, how up until so recently a diagnosis of TB was such a death sentence, like AIDS before HAART. And watching Violetta get sick and die at the end (beautifully staged) reminded me of so many friends' deaths, and the way OI have at times imagined my own. Not that it will ever be sung quite that way ;-) - but Violetta's life resonates on so many levels for me as a gay man. Leading the fun-filled self-indulgent life in youth, putting pleasure above the responsibilities and demands of love, only to be reminded of how empty a life without love is when the thrill is gone.
I loved the producitno tonight, I loved being in a crowd of black tie and beautifully dressed women, and, as always, I just love Verdi and this opera especially. |
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