Violetta Poem by gershon hepner

Conveying pride and sensual allure,
Violetta's shame lurks just below the surface,
but, violated by a prude, she makes us nervous
because we come to realize she's pure,
which isn't what a courtesan should be.
This lady as a tramp, la traviata,
we cannot love when she becomes a martyr,
preferring her when she is always free.

Inspired by Anthony Tommasini’s review of Renée Fleming's performance of the role of Violetta in a Covent Garden production of La Traviata (“Casting Caution Aside as Violetta, ” NYT, July 8,2009) . He raves about all of it, particularly her “Sempre libre, ” “always free” aria at the end of the first act.

There was nothing cautious about Ms. Fleming’s performance here on Monday. For sheer ease and accuracy in dispatching the coloratura flights in Act I, there are other sopranos who can top Ms. Fleming's technique. But in her performance each run and turn emanated from a melodically coherent and dramatically penetrating phrase. Her coloratura roulades conveyed emotional ambiguity, the coquettish facade of a kept woman determined to convey pride and sexual allure, while he shame lurks just below the surface.

7/8/09