The Grange Festival La Traviata 2025 © Richard Hubert Smith
On Wednesday night, The Grange Festival’s verdant amphitheatre transformed into a gilded salon of passion and Provence as Verdi’s La Traviata took flight under the outstanding baton of conductor Richard Farnes. He conducted the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the superb Grange Festival Chorus with great pace, but the true sparks came from the stage with an electric cast.
Our Violetta, brought to life by the Australian/British soprano Samantha Clarke, delivered her signature “Sempre libera” with such bravura that even the swaying trees seemed to applaud. Her coloratura soared like champagne corks, yet her heartbreaking descent into vulnerability in Act III felt less forced and more like witnessing someone order their final macchiato at closing time, suddenly her death was piercingly real.
Her Alfredo Germont, sung by the Maltese tenor Nico Darmanin, offered a swaggering youthfulness that teetered on cockiness, but when he nestled into “De’ miei bollenti spiriti,” we fell in love all over again. His chemistry with Violetta crackled with electricity raising his Italianate virile tone to dramatic intensity.
Giorgio Germont, sung but the Uruguayan baritone Dario Solari was a dramatic force throughout. His Act II scene with Violetta was sung with paternal gravitas and emotional weight as he sung for his daughter’s choices. This was a commanding performance.
Supporting roles like Isabel Garcia Araujo as the sympathetic Annina, Sam Marston as the flamboyant Gastone, and Peter Edge’s Baron Douphol rounded out the production with charm.
Director Maxine Braham staged the party scenes with Hitchcockian tension. Each toast sparkling, each smile oddly strained, hinting at the tragedy bubbling underneath. She and her designer Jamie Vartan chose a traditional yet opulent 19th century Parisian set, elegantly framing the salon with regrets and embraces. It looked and felt of the time, and all the better for it.
A sumptuous evening where hearts were broken, and seldom have I wanted both a bottle of Dom Pérignon and a handkerchief more fiercely in a single production. The Grange Festival’s La Traviata felt like tearing open a love letter and discovering it was written in velvet. Encore, please!
David Buchler, Opera Spy
