The desperate struggle of a dying woman: Willy Decker's Traviata at the Teatro Real.

Madrid, June 29, 2025.

Every time La Traviata is scheduled for a run of performances at the Teatro Real, it becomes a cultural and social event: mentions in the media, the local jet-set attending the premiere, all tickets sold-out, and sometimes even a telecast. This year, it also coincides with Opera Week, so there will be a live telecast on a giant screen in the Plaza de Oriente, attended by thousands of people, and in many cultural centers across Spain on July 19.

For this return, the famous Willy Decker staging, which premiered twenty years ago at the Salzburg Festival, featuring the Russian diva Anna Netrebko, is being brought. This production has toured major theaters around the world with great success and has become a classic. In the 2019-2020 season, the Teatro Real had scheduled it for two performance runs in May and July 2020. However, that year, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped every cultural activity, and confined people to their homes around the globe. There was no time to think about opera with so many people dying from the coronavirus. Having missed the May performances, when it was announced that twenty-eight performances of this opera would be scheduled for July of that year, with the initially planned casts (except for Nadine Sierra, Plácido Domingo as Germont Sr., due to the scandal surrounding him; and the legendary Luigi Roni as Doctor Grenvil, since he died of Covid in March of that year), the surprise was enormous. Finally, the performances took place, with strict security measures, in a semi-staged version (without the possibility of performing any production yet) that separated singers and chorus on stage, in a comeback for world-class opera.

Five years later, this acclaimed production finally arrives, alongside conductor Henrik Nánási and soprano Nadine Sierra , scheduled for performances in May 2020. In December 2022, Sierra and Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga captivated audiences at the Teatro Real with La Sonnambula. Now these beloved singers are back on its stage to delight us with the world's most famous opera, of which they are renowned performers.

Willy Decker 's staging remains as powerful and shocking two decades later. It's a Traviata unlike how we're used to seeing it, and at the same time so faithful to the essence of the story that makes this old story to remain relevant, even 172 years after its premiere. What "well-to-do" family would welcome their son having relations with a courtesan, a high-class prostitute? These characters are victims of society's hypocrisy: they are used as pleasure toys, but denied the right to rebuild their lives if they try to abandon this life. The minimalist production echoes all of this: there is no romance, no gallantry, no baroque costumes, no luxurious salons, and no elegant bedrooms. What matters here is the tragedy of a soon-to-die woman,who suffers for daring to love and fight against her inevitable death, discarded by society after having taken advantage of her. One leaves the performance with a feeling of sadness for Violetta, and indignation at her suffering. 

Upon entering the hall, we are greeted by a curved white stage with a huge clock, representing the short time left to live, and close to it, Doctor Grenvil is seated, representing death. In the background, a mural of flowers can sometimes be seen. The only woman who matters here is Violetta, in her now-iconic red dress. The others are all randy men (even the women, here dressed as men except for the maid) who surround her lustfully. The clock moves quickly shortly before the first act finale, cutting short Violetta's life. The second act begins with Violetta and Alfredo playing tenderly, wrapped in flowery robes that merge with the sheets covering the sofa. The second scene of this act doesn't show gypsies and bullfighters dancing, but rather the masked chorus tormenting Alfredo with a man wearing the same red dress Violetta is wearing, harassing him relentlessly. Only when, in the now-classic scene in which Alfredo humiliates Violetta by throwing money at her to pay her for what she spent on him, does the chorus show some humanity and appear without masks. This will be short-lived: in the third act, they will appear to take the enormous clock and place another woman dressed in red on top of it: their next victim, much to Violetta's despair. In the tragic third act, the stage emptier than ever, we see a weak, agonizing Violetta under the watchful eye of Grenvil-Death, who is only slightly cheered by Alfredo's visit. In fact, in the end, the poor woman dies alone before everyone's apathetic gaze.

Henrik Nánási 's orchestral conducting has some brilliant moments, such as the slow tempo during the opening string section of the Act I prelude and the mournful prelude to Act III, two moments in which the Teatro Real Orchestra really gave nice renditions. But little more: the tempi were very slow, and just a mere accompaniment for singers. Furthermore, the performance began in Bayreuth style: the lights went down and the prelude began, while some conversations could still be heard. With the exception of the Addio del Passato,  which was sung complete, the score was presented with the known cuts in Ah, Fors'è lui , O mio rimorso and Non udrai rimproveri.

The Teatro Real Choir struggled to make itself heard due to the staging's structure, including singing behind masks in the second act and sometimes being placed high up on the stage. This also affected the supporting singers, which were often indistinguishable from the chorus. Even so, José Luis Basso 's ensemble reached its peak in the second half of the second act, and was thrillingly showcased in the final concertante, where it showed its full potential. Once again, their acting skills stood out, conveying the amorality imposed by the production.

Nadine Sierra was the undisputed star of the evening. Her acclaimed Violetta evolved both in her interpretation and her music throughout the performance, which, combined with her on-stage magnetism, turned her performance an emotional one. During the first act, she relied on pyrotechnics and her acting skills to compensate for some limitations, and even so, the aria and cabaletta at the end of the first act were striking. But from the second act onwards... Sierra gave the audience a succession of unforgettable moments. In the duet with Germont Sr. in the second act, she convincingly portrayed a desperate woman at the request of her beloved's father, saddened by his fate. The Dite alla giovine was sung exquisitely, with a moving piano line. The same was  at the end of the duet, with "Conosca il sacrifizio", and at the end of the second act, with "Alfredo, Alfredo di questo core". In the third act, her Addio del Passato, sung with passion, vehemence, with all her vocal means, with beautiful high notes, a velvety voice, and a moving rendition, was the high point of the performance. Her low notes are equally beautiful, appropriately sung at the most dramatic moments, which led her to a haunting version of the letter reading in the third act. As an actress, as she is a young, beautiful woman, she conveyed sensuality in the first act, the exhaustion of her struggle with death, as well as all the sadness of the character. If there's anything memorable in these performances, it is her.

Xabier Anduaga's voice is its prime in these performances. His Alfredo sounds vigorous and youthful, and as an actor he conveys the character's impulsiveness. His voice may sound a little nasal, but this is nothing compared to the beauty of his voice and its generous volume. For example, in the conclusion of Sempre Libera from Violetta, with the phrase "Amore è palpito dell'universo," which he sings on stage due to the production. His interpretation of the aria "De miei bollenti spiriti" impresses with its powerful vocal means, as does the caballetta "O mio rimorso." He sings very moving rendition of the "Parigi, o Cara" in the third act.

I remember I enjoyed seeing Luca Salsi in that Tosca he sang here in 2021 with Anna Netrebko. But Giorgio Germont is another story, and it's been four years since those remembered performances. Now his voice seems uneven to me. There are moments when it sounds guttural, but others when, with a more polished delivery, it's still capable of moving with still beautiful singing. His voice is still big-volumed. During the duet with Violetta, the piano's response to the soprano, "Supremo è il veggo, il sacrifizio," was very beautiful, but the rest of the performance was mixed, especially in the Di Provenza. 

The rest of the cast did their best, given their blend with the chorus and the setting. A special mention goes to Tomeu Bibiloni as a vehement Baron Douphol, with a big voice. The regular at this opera house Gemma-Coma Alabert was a well-sung Annina. The role of Doctor Grenvil, is short but extremely important here. Luigi Roni, who sang the role in this production all over the world, has died, but this  role is now played by veteran Giacomo Prestia , who still maintains a powerful voice, with spectacular low voice.

Many in the audience would probably have preferred a classic staging, but La Traviata is always moving and enjoyable, so the theater was full. There is also another segment of the audience who are already familiar with the production from the famous 2005 video or from other theaters, and are already convinced by it. In any case, there were generous ovations for Anduaga and Sierra in the end, in an evening that, if will not go down in the annals of the Teatro Real's history, was certainly moving due to the outstanding performance of its world-class starring soprano.

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