Traviata et nous

The title of Philippe Béziat's lovely film about the staging of Verdi's masterwork at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France could be said to have a double meaning. On the one hand, it refers to Met Opera favorite Natalie Dessay as she hones her articulation, gestures and movements on her way to incarnating Violetta, Verdi's tragic courtesan. On the other, it captures the wonder that opera is: the way in which so many elements -- musical, vocal, dramatic, choreographic, scenographic -- come together to create a single aesthetic experience. Much more than a backstage look at the contemporary staging of a classic, the film captures the highly detailed work of both director Jean-François Sivadier and musical director Louis Langrée, lingering over notes and lyrics, trying to get the expression of their meaning to be as precise as possible, and the efforts by the singers to integrate their own performances into the production's overall vision.