Following internationally renowned soprano Natalie Dessay and stage director Jean-François Sivadier--from downbeat to première--Becoming Traviata is not just Philippe Béziat's exhilarating account of the creative process; it's also a rousing, uniquely accessible rendition of one of Verdi's most glorious operas.
Béziat, known himself for innovative documentaries on classical music, turns his lens upon a 2011 production of La Traviata at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Viewers of Traviata et nous will get plenty of behind-the-scenes looks at such rarefied areas like set design and musical direction, however, the true heart of the film is the intense collaboration between Sivadier and his charismatic chanteuse Dessay.
With an emphasis on stunning, psychologically revealing gestures, Dessay, Sivadier and Béziat work out a naturalistic, emotionally direct (and sometimes erotic) interpretation of Violetta that is mirrored by the immediacy of in-rehearsal performances.
How can emotion come to light on the opera set? Does it come from singing, acting or the music, itself? Moreover, just how does one become the incarnation of what's probably Verdi's masterpiece?
In a bold choice of filmmaking, the viewer never actually sees a finished production of La Traviata, and yet, due mostly to Philippe Béziat even bolder moves here, these aforementioned questions--be ye English or Français--still receive brilliant answers.
All the same, for Classicalite readers interested in watching the full La Traviata production from Aix-en-Provence, graciously, Arte has posted a video that can be freely viewed for the next three weeks.
A guilty pleasure, Wall Street Journal?
@wsj Reviews @become_traviata online.wsj.com/article/SB1000…
— Becoming Traviata(@Become_traviata) May 17, 2013
Non, pas du tout!
