La Traviata tells the story of Violetta Valery (played by Cristina Pisani), a hedonistic social butterfly who gives up a life of luxury to be with the charming Alfredo Germont (Marcel d’Entremont). Familiar with Violetta’s reputation as a former gold-digger, Alfredo’s father (Sebastian Haboczki) forces her to leave his son for the sake of his family’s reputation. Angry and ashamed, Alfredo publicly shames Violetta, causing her to lose all hope of being reunited with her true love. After months of separation, Alfredo learns the truth about the reasons for Violetta’s abandonment and returns to her, only to lose her to a consumptive disease at the moment of their reunion.

In addition to having stunning vocal prowess, the leading duo effectively communicated the touching and tragic love story through tender and intimate acting.

The sparse and flexible set design made the most of the limited space in Brunton auditorium, with modern props and costume designs. However, because the production was shortened from three acts to two, many roles were omitted, including the entire chorus.

The cuts did not heavily affect the plot, with the exception of those made to Act II. The limited casting resulted in omission of two characters: Violetta and Alfredo’s maid and Violetta’s former lover, Baron Douphol.

The maid is a significant character, given that she reveals to Alfredo that Violetta has been selling all her former possessions to fund her life with him, to which he takes offence. In the following party scene, Alfredo repays Violetta by throwing his money at her face for “services rendered.” Without the Baron’s presence during the party scene, and without the explanation of Alfredo’s debt to Violetta, Alfredo’s anger comes off as unreasonable.

Despite these narrative cuts, the performers certainly did justice to the beauty and drama of Verdi’s magical music. Although there are no more operas on the horizon this year, the musical community of Sackville can look forward to a busy weekend, with performances by the Mount Allison Chamber Orchestra on Thursday night, the Mt. A Symphonic Band (with the Third Field Regiment Band) on Friday night, the Tesla Quartet on Saturday night, and the Choral Society (with the Mt. A Brass Quintet) on Sunday afternoon.

The concert contained all the components of a great show. The performers each boasted impressive resumes, glowing reviews and prestigious performance histories. The light-hearted repertoire engaged listeners, but the execution came off as awkward and lackluster. The performers, especially Leibel, appeared unfamiliar with the repertoire and uncomfortable with its style.

The artists’ discomfort with the repertoire was obvious from the first piece, Viva Gershwin!, a medley of Gershwin’s songs. The piano and clarinet nearly drowned out Leibel, who seemed to be attempting to sing jazz in an entirely operatic, Wagnerian style – an experiment that did not work out in her favour. Although the Carter and Volk duet kept a solid groove and held  the piece together,  their cohesion could not remedy the concert’s awkward start.

The concert improved with the two middle pieces, the style of which fit the ensemble’s skill set much better. Leider appeared more comfortable with this style, and her overdramatic acting suited the eccentricities of the collection A Sarah Binks Bestiary. This set of songs, by Canadian composer Greer, presented a humourous look at prairie life and its inhabitants through the eyes of the quirky Sarah Binks.

Selections from Crawley’s Personal Column also seemed well-prepared, both by the individuals and the ensemble as a whole. However, there were points at which the acting transported the music from witty and humourous to simply tacky. Nonetheless, this set, especially “Escort Service,” was a highlight of the concert.

The final song on the program shattered the brief illusion of preparation that the previous two pieces had fostered. After talking for an uncomfortably long time, Leider forgot her music offstage, then announced that the ensemble would be performing “Lukey’s Boat” from Five Songs from Newfoundland by Cook, rather than what the ensemble was actually performing: “Jack Was Every Inch A Sailor” from the same set.

The final set felt approximately as well-prepared as its opening remarks, and the concert ended on the same lackluster note with which it had started, despite some impressive, virtuosic moments from Carter and Volk.