Can a 29-year-old sing Germont pere? If it's James Westman, the answer
is yes.  Is it rather strange, to watch him consoling his son.  who is
obviously older than he is? Yes.  Does this young Canadian I predicted
several years ago to show potential as a leading Verdi baritone in the
coming years deliver a great, unforgettable performance? No, not yet.

But tonight, in a new cast of the San Francisco Opera's "Traviata,"
Westman sang the role with that smooth, velvety sound he has been producing
since his early 20s, with a natural legato, a simple, unaffected musicality
- even if the voice is not yet well supported or centered).  With more
accomplished, mature singers around him, tonight is likely to be the
"Westman Traviata" because it's his performance I will remember in the
future, especially if he keeps getting better.  At 29, with the right
coaching and a little bit of luck, there is a good chance of that.

The good news is that "Traviata II" is better than "Traviata I," which
opened the summer Verdi festival on June 1.  At that time, there was
Patricia Racette in the title role, and not much else.  This cast - and a
more settled Marco Armiliato conducting - is still short of excellence on
order of the festival's "Aida," but it's definitely a PGT:  a Pretty Good
"Traviata," which is not all that easy to come by.

Singing the title role in the new cast is Mary Dunleavy, a soprano who at
first presented a puzzling, frustrating performance.  In Act I, she had
it all (big voice, good technique, strong projection, fine acting), but
she didn't have It.  Hard to say what "It" is, but if you were there you
would have known it.  She didn't get into the music, she didn't connect,
she lacked believability.  Then, cutting way back on volume (properly),
Dunleavy changed her performance beginning Act II, and became much more
effective even without dazzling voice fireworks.

The new tenor is Carlo Ventre, and he couldn't help improving on Stephen
Mark Brown's Alfredo.  After a wobbly start, a voice simultaneously thick
and fragile, Ventre improved and progressed to a point of a pretty good
"house tenor." To be fair, his sudden assignment to replace Marcello
Giordani in "Simon Boccanegra" created a situation where he had to take
over at yesterday's dress rehearsal and then sing in "Traviata," so he
might have done better if he had to worry only about Alfredo.  Still, I'll
miss Giordani in "Boccanegra."

Janos Gereben/SF, CA
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