In La Traviata, Arizona Opera’s latest offering, it’s hard to believe that Alfredo Germont, the young nobleman in Giuseppe Verdi’s 1853 opera, didn’t inspire the sad-sackery in Young MC’s “Bust-A-Move.” The dude’s heart gets dragged around like a rag doll.
That’s not to say that Violetta Valéry, the central figure of La Traviata, isn’t put through the wringer. We open on a lavish party at Violetta’s pad, where eventually Alfredo declares his initially rebuffed love for the lady. Alas, she’s engaged to another and prone to illness. Conductor Steven White and stage director John Hoomes helm this rollercoaster of a classic opera with Ambur Braid and Patrick O’Halloran and Caitlin Lynch and Adriano Graziani taking turns playing the lead roles.
Arizona Opera presents La Traviata at Phoenix Symphony Hall through Sunday, March 2. Friday, February 28's curtain is 7:30 p.m., and tickets range from $25 to $135. For more information, visit www.azopera.org or call 602-266-7464.
Fri., Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., March 1, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 2, 2 p.m., 2014
