(This entry was indeed written during the last days of August, however, due to unforseeable complications, I was unable to upload it the moment I wanted. So, just ignore the fact that it is September, and read on...)
It’s one of those last August days, where you know that summer is
drawing to an end, simply because the heat is once again giving you its last
blazing afternoons, making you wish that September comes sooner rather than
later. Then again, this is Greece and whether September comes or not, it’s one
and the same. The temperatures are probably going to be high even then. It’s
kind of funny, considering that the people here curse the heat every day and
the northerners envy us for it – it is, by the way, the only thing they envy us
for right now.
Normally, on such a hot day, my brain would simply be a mess, unable to
do anything else other than lying on a bed and shooting pigs out of their nests
on my iPod. Yep, I too am an addict of that
game… But, I had a surprisingly good week and after taking a short midday swim,
I feel like expanding the list a bit. And it is also a fitting 9th
spot, because it will bring the temperatures down a bit – figuratively
speaking. And no, my 9th opera is not La Bohème.
Between the two “La’s”, that is La
Bohème and La Traviata, I prefer
the latter one (actually, there are a lot of “La’s” in opera, but these are the
two most popular nowadays). *Side note to self: this seems like it’s going to
end up being a comparative analysis, rather than an examination of one work.*
Alright then, let the comparison begin!
BE WARNED: SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW SO EITHER CHECK OUT THE OPERAS FIRST OR
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Let’s start with the obvious: both operas have a heroine who dies of
tuberculosis – hence the TBC in the title. What a novel, but definitely ignoble
way to die. Both operas take their storylines from two books, with Dumas’ La Dame aux Camelias being more popular
even today, than Murger’s Scènes de la
vie de bohème. I admit having read the first one, but not the second one.
And I think that’s about everything those two operas have in common. Oh, yeah,
they both play out in Paris and its suburbs, but don’t expect any scenes at the
Eifel Tower.
Off to the differences then: Verdi’s heroine is a high society
prostitute. Puccini’s is a simple and most definitely innocent young girl who
makes fake flowers for a living. Violetta likes it big and pompous, Mimì is
happy with a bonnet or a muff to warm her hands. Violetta has had many lovers
and rich friends, but never taken a relationship seriously; Mimì’s relationship
with Rodolfo is probably her first one – alas, it was meant to be her last one
as well. As far as the guys are concerned: Verdi’s Alfredo is like Puccini’s
Mimì at the beginning: innocent and honest – a deadly combination. There is
nothing predatory about him and he is your dream guy. He seems to have some
money, although we never find out what he does for a living. Apparently he
lives off his father’s money. And he is a romantic, believing in true love and
love at first sight etc etc. Puccini’s Rodolfo on the other side is, well, a
social misfit. He claims to be a poet, but he is clearly an unsuccessful one.
And he lives in a flat with four other guys, all in the same dire financial situation
as he is. Marcello the painter, Schaunard the musician and Colline the
philosopher – thankfully, the last one doesn’t do a lot of on stage philosophy,
otherwise this opera would be a total flop… But, because these guys are living
the big Parisian life from the bottom side of society, they don’t really care
about things that much. They do make a big show however on the odd chance one
of them manages to bring some money to the flat, which means they get to eat
and drink again. Well, there’s none of that in Verdi obviously! There is a big
show, but Violetta is the one who organizes it, because she can and because
that is expected of her. Also, Verdi’s version of a romance has a much better
pick up line than Puccini’s. Verdi’s Alfredo sings a really catchy toast song,
whereas Puccini’s Rodolfo says to Mimì she has cold hands… And she falls for
that! Ugh! I guess that’s all part of the “verismo” genre, right?
And now comes the big moment where I have to explain why I don’t like La Bohème and prefer La Traviata. It has nothing to do with
the music, first of all. Both operas have really beautiful music – although I
can hear the musicologists chastising me for my Verdi choice, because in their
minds Don Carlo and Falstaff are much better. (Having seen
the Don recently, I will agree with the scientists, but, have you seen the
bloody plot? Seriously! It’s nuts! I might even write something about it one
day, but not today.) So, if it’s not the music that bothers me, it’s – what else –
the heroine. I have a huge problem with “innocent” girls in operas. There
aren’t many, mind you, and most of them simply feel off to me. Even Rossini’s
Cenerentola falls into that category – no one can be that forgiving; ok, it’s a
fairy tale, totally different subject! But Mimì is annoying. There is no
embitterment in her character. I’m not saying that poor people are all
embittered; some know how to enjoy life better than the rest of us. But no,
Mimì borders on sainthood. And that is never good! Isn’t La Bohème supposed to be a verismo opera? Well, there is nothing
realistic about its lead character, because she is flawless! No human being is
flawless, period! The only thing that saves this particular opera for me, is –
drum roll, please… – Musetta! Yes, this very sexy, but deeply emotional femme
fatale is my favorite character here. At least her love affair with Marcello is
a lot more passionate than Rodolfo’s and Mimì’s. And she is a true friend to
Mimì, no matter the differences in character. Also another really annoying
feature of this opera is Rodolfo’s cowardice. Why is he a coward? Well, he
abandons Mimì not because he doesn’t love her any more, but because she is sick
and he doesn’t like that. Seriously? That alone tells me that his interests in
Mimì at the very beginning were entirely of a carnal nature, rather than
emotional ones. Suits him well that Mimì has to die in the end, forgiving him
for his stupid character, making him realize that he actually loved her. Damn
those librettists, right?
So why is La Traviata better?
For one, Alfredo is a very convincing young man. He falls truly in love with
someone he definitely shouldn’t; he lives the perfect life for a while, at the
expense of his beloved without knowing it himself, because – let’s face it –
every guy is essentially a boy who seeks a mother figure and Violetta does that
perfectly well; he feels truly betrayed by Violetta, not knowing that she
sacrifices everything for him, including her life (the scene where he throws
the money at her in front of all their old friends is a true shocker); he
realizes his mistake with some help and comes begging for forgiveness, only to
find his lover on her deathbed. Alfredo shows true signs of maturing during the
opera and the process happens naturally, so to speak…
A second reason is Alfredo’s father, Germont Sr. He is a very ambivalent
persona in the play, but there is no doubt of his noblesse and steadfastness.
At first he appears as the evil guy, since his plan is to break up Violetta and
Alfredo. And the reason he gives, namely that he is unable to marry off his
only daughter because her brother is living together with a courtesan, sounds
dubious today. But back then it was really a shocking thing for anyone to be
living with someone of a promiscuous nature… And anyone daring such a thing was
sure to be cut off from society and be viewed under a very examining eye. But,
we know that Germont Sr. is not a bad guy, because Verdi provides his character
with some of his greatest music and the music signifies a caring and loving
man, as it turns out in the end. He does, albeit a bit reluctantly, become a
father figure to Violetta as well, which is why it is so fitting that in the
end, he should be writing her to inform her of the outcome of the duel between
Alfredo and the Count-what’s-his-name.
The third reason La Traviata trumps
La Bohème is Violetta. She reminds me
a lot of all the witches that suffered in all the opere serie of the baroque
time. Just like any of those, she indulges herself in carnal affairs,
neglecting the soul. And just like them, when true love strikes, she is
unprepared for it and it consumes her literally. The only difference with those
witches of old is, they were, most of the time, immortals; whereas Violetta is
very mortal and very aware of it. Which is also the exact reason why she spends
her life in frivolity, shying away from relationships and decency. She knows
she can only hurt the feelings of whomever falls in love with her, and
therefore, instead of dying on the potential lover, she chooses to be “free”.
Her freedom, as is the case, comes at a very high price. But she loves paying
it. There are no regrets when her time comes, because in the end, she has lived
it all.
The fourth reason is a biographical one. Not mine; Verdi’s. This
particular story strikes close to home for the good man, for he too fell in
love with an artist who was famous for her promiscuity and yet he managed to
whisk her away from that kind of life and they actually had their happily ever
after. Of course, society didn’t see it that way and they were shunned; mostly
her, for Verdi was the rising name in music and politics. Eventually, the two
married and their bond was somewhat accepted, although I think that some people
never really forgave Verdi the transgression.
And finally, the last reason why La
Traviata is better than La Bohème
is… Violetta’s music from beginning to end! It is tough stuff to sing, since in
the first act there is a lot of coloratura (the “Sempre libera” aria), then
there is a lot of dramatic and begging music in the second act (the whole
Germont Sr. scene) and in the end one has to be subdued enough to be convincing
in the whole She’s-dying-from-tuberculosis thing (the haunting letter scene in
parlando and of course the brilliant “Addio del passato”). Violetta’s music is
yet another proof that this particular opera was something very personal for
Verdi. He composed heavenly stuff for this heroine, making it obvious that he
feels for her like no one else. Which is also why Violetta is Verdi’s most
realistic figure of all. She is clearly three dimensional, she is flawed in
many ways – including the fact that she is a courtesan – and she undergoes
major changes throughout the play. Something I don’t see happening with Mimì’s
character (in all fairness, she too has some good music composed for her, but
it never really gets me very emotional, not in the least). On a weeping scale
from 1 to 10, with 1 being no weeping at all and 10 drowning one hanky after
another in tears, La Traviata wins
with a clear 9, by contrast to La Bohème which
gains a meager 5. Still, it’s better than nothing I suppose…
I do have one last comment to make about the perfect Violetta: In my
humble opinion, and no, you are not permitted to argue with this particular
one, the perfect Violetta would be a combination of Anja Harteros’ voice and
Natalie Dessay’s acting skills and looks. Harteros’ voice is perfect for the
role, because she masters coloratura and drama fantastically, and Dessay is the
embodiment of Violetta: frail, yet full of life and perfectly capable of
transporting you away with just one look. Should this combination ever grace
the planet, then the world has my permission to end. But not before that… As
for who’s the perfect Mimì… I don’t really care!
