La traviata
Royal Opera House, London

Once in a generation a prima donna takes ownership of a role in a way none of her peers can do. Anna Netrebko has achieved this as Violetta, and the proof is there for all to see and hear in Covent Garden’s revival of La traviata. Netrebko, who has already triumphed in the part in Vienna and Salzburg, does not redefine or reinvent it. She simply is the Violetta for our age, able to cast her spell over a performance by virtue of “period-perfect” looks, a voice that glides over the many technical and musical hurdles Verdi throws in her path, and a big-night temperament.