La Traviata

Floy Quintos, Arthur Espiritu, Andrew Fernando, Rachelle Gerodias, Daesan No,
Yun-Kyoung Yi, Raul Sunico, Jae-Joon Lee and Jae Wook Lee

Featuring:
Yun-Kyoung Yi, soprano

Rachelle Gerodias, soprano

Daesan No, baritone

Andrew Fernando, baritone

Jae Wook Lee, tenor

Arthur Espiritu, tenor

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Jae-Joon Lee, conductor

UST Singers

Finally, the time came when I get to experience my first ever full opera production. I just didn’t imagine that the opera would be La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. The opera’s story revolves around the courtesan Violetta who is the object of affection of Alfredo. They eventually fall in love with each other but loving a courtesan has its share of problems. And one such problem is Alfredo’s father, Giorgo Germont who is not in favor of his son’s scandalous relationship with Violetta since it has affected the marriage chances of his daughter. A plot such as this has been told many times in different ways throughout the years. No wonder I was told that La Traviata is indeed a good introduction to opera for someone like me who is new to this artform.

My preparation for watching this opera began right after the press conference by listening to an audio recording of the work, trying to grasp the basic plot and then watching Yun-Kyoung Yi’s recital that also featured Arthur Espiritu which made me anticipate the opening night a lot more. A couple of days before the opening night, I was able to sneak in and take a peek at their rehearsals over at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). I noticed that the set design was not as lavish as one might see from productions overseas that have the benefit of a higher budget. There was much use of sheer white fabric hanging from above the stage. But the light design that used projected images made the fabrics and even the curtains look a lot more luxurious and interesting. What I saw was already a dress rehearsal and yet it still looked very rough with some members of the chorus not yet in their costumes. I wanted to stay a lot longer but I decided to be patient and not to spoil myself. It would be a lot better for me to experience the whole production with the rest of the audience on the actual performance night itself.

Baritone Daesan No

La Traviata ran for three consecutive nights with the Korean leads performing on the first and third nights while the Filipino leads performed on the second night. Stage direction was by acclaimed director Floy Quintos while music direction was by Maestro Jae-Joon Lee who also conducted the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Also appearing in the opera were the UST Singers playing the part of the chorus. This production was presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in cooperation of the Opera Guild Foundation of the Philippines and Dae-Jeon Opera Company.

The Opening Night

The opening night of La Traviata starring the Korean leads Yun-Kyoung Yi, Daesan No and Jae Wook Lee brought to the Cultural Center of the Philippines a very diverse audience. Members of the diplomatic community like the Ambassador Luca Fornari of the Embassy of Italy and his wife Silvana Novelli-Fornari were there to enjoy the opera alongside some very enthusiastic young music students from the University of Sto. Tomas. Some well dressed members of the audience looked like they’ve been to numerous opera performances before while some were just like me who are total newbies. But the atmosphere was that of excitement and eargerness to see and hear how this production would turn out. To those who say that there is no audience for opera here in the Philippines, the scene at the main lobby before and after the show would only make them eat their words.

Soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi

So many superlatives had been said about Yun-Kyoung Yi and her performance as the tragic courtesan Violetta proved once again that she deserved those praises. A force of nature with her unearthly projection during Sempre libera and an exquisite showcase of restraint and elegance during Addio passato, she was clearly the star in this opera during the opening night. Jae Wook Lee, as the young, love stricken Alfredo did manage to portray a brash youth ready to throw caution to the wind in the name of love. And this worked well with Daesan No whose arresting presence as the stern Germont was a nice contrast to the impulsive Alfredo.

I admit that I find sopranos the most exciting to listen to since the range of their voice has the most opportunities for composers to explore. But on the other end of the spectrum, I usually find baritones and their repertoire quite boring. So credit should be given to Daesan No’s performance and his insanely powerful voice since he had me really engaged in a baritone’s performance. I guess it also helped that I wasn’t able to hear him during the rehearsals since his part came in later in Act II and I left the rehearsals just after a couple of numbers from Act I. I didn’t know what to expect from him and I was caught unaware and was totally impressed by this pleasant surprise when I finally got to see him.

I came out of the performance feeling very exhilarated not just because of the amazing performance but also realizing that I finally had my first opera experience. I would’ve been satisfied and very happy with the experience but I wasn’t done yet. I planned to watch both casts and that meant returning on the next evening to see the leads portrayed by a Filipino cast.

Filipinos Take Centerstage

When I was on my way for my second night of La Traviata, I got a bit worried that the Filipinos’ fascination with foreigners, especially Koreans of late would mean that there would be considerably less people on this performance. I would feel very bad for Rachelle Gerodias (Violetta), Andrew Fernando (Giorgio) and Arthur Espiritu (Alfredo) if this had been the case. I was glad to be mistaken since this evening not just equaled the opening night’s turnout but it had a more star studded audience with Ryan Cayabyab, Armida Sigueon-Reyna and no other than Imelda Marcos in attendance.

The Filipinos playing the leads didn’t disappoint and they brought in a different approach and dimension to the opera. It was also my first time to see Rachelle Gerodias in an longer role that had some meat and I saw and heard in her a spirited and vigorous Violetta showing why she is one of the leading and celebrated sopranos in the country today. I’ve seen and heard Andrew Fernando before when he was one of the soloists during the PPO’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem a year ago. So I knew what to expect from him. But one thing that I didn’t expect was learning after the show that he actually had a viral infection which I didn’t notice at all during the actual performance. For me, the revelation for this evening was Arthur Espiritu who didn’t look like he exerted any effort at all in reaching those high notes and then exhibiting moments of utter despair and helplessness as he realizes that Alfredo and Violetta’s love affair was coming to a tragic end.

It would not be fair to compare the two sets of leads and decide which was better. Although there were numerous discussions among people afterwards with both the Korean and Filipino leads having their own share of those who preferred one performance over the other. But for me, all I could say was that I pity those who weren’t able to watch both casts since seeing both gave me a more complete La Traviata experience. I also found it interesting that on the second night, the male members of the chorus got mustaches and beards which they didn’t have the previous night. I also noticed the change in the ending lift during the dance sequence by Ballet Philippines’ principal dancers Jean Marc Cordero and Candice Adea. There were also some changes in the minor roles like a new performer and performers switching roles as well from the previous night as well.

As expected, the after show frenzy that accompanies events such as these was as bustling as the night before. The presence of Imelda Marcos made the meet and greet a lot more interesting since she has this uncanny way of drawing attention to herself and away from the performers. But the performers did get to meet Mrs. Marcos at the after show cocktails. With or without Imelda, the mood and atmosphere was still so upbeat that I decided to come back for a third viewing on its closing night. I’ve seen the opera twice already, so why not come back and complete all three performances?

The Closing Night

Watching the same opera for three nights in a row has got to be one of the craziest things that I’ve done so far in my years of watching concerts/shows. I guess that seeing La Traviata for two nights would prompt anyone to do the same if it was only possible. I managed to be back for a third night and got myself seats at the parterre box section which had a great view of the stage. By then, I somehow knew the opera like the back of my hand and there was nothing else for me to do but to absorb everything and enjoy the evening knowing that it was already the last performance. The last night was better than the first one with the Korean leads making up for the slight wobbles that they’ve had before.

Tenor Jae Wook Lee

I guess that I was one of the few who were able to watch all three performances of La Traviata. Maestro Jae-Joon Lee was one of those who expressed his surprise and gratitude when I congratulated him for the third time since I always did after every performance. This experience definitely made me want to see more opera productions in the future. Thankfully, there are more scheduled for this year. This production went for a more traditional approach and I do hope that the others will try to push the envelope more and experiment with the staging and interpretation.

The cast of La Traviata

Seeing the Koreans perform for the second time made me wish that there was another show featuring the Filipino leads. Good thing that Rachelle Gerodias was scheduled to perform a couple of weeks with the PPO after this. It was also announced that Andrew Ferndando (and Arthur Espiritu as well) will be part of the upcoming opera productions coming soon. I’ve yet to hear from someone who watched La Traviata on any night regretting doing so but I’ve heard from some people regretting seeing only one night or regretting missing the opera completely. The only bad thing that I can say about the opera was hearing a handful of people singing Violetta’s songs after the show although they clearly do not have the chops for it.