If you go to the movies tonight, you could see American Hustle. Or you could see a gem of a production from Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. Both are tempting, but the opera is a limited engagement.
Teatro alla Scala closed a contemporary staging of La Traviata last week, but you can relive opening night with what should be a stunning high-definition recording of the event. Director Dmitri Tcherniakov has set Verdi’s tale of Violetta Valéry, the lovely and respected courtesan whose life takes a tragic turn when she risks everything for love, in the present. The twist works extremely well, according to New York Times critic George Loomis. German soprano Diana Damrau sings the role of Violetta. Catch it at either the Angelika at Mockingbird Station or the Plano location.
Meanwhile, Welsh singer Cate Le Bon kicks off her North American tour with a stop at Three Links in Deep Ellum. I like “I Think I Knew” off her second, most recent album, which happens to be produced by the same guy behind Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhardt. That might explain it. She’s support by LA-based Kevin Morby and locals Bethan and Bryce Gilbertson.
For more to do tonight, go here.
