“This Traviata has musical freshness and dramatic urgency, for James Conlon, its conductor, is a musician with a sure feeling for unwritten but essential rubato – the ebb and flow of musical phrase which Verdi’s music needs.” – Classical Voice

“Music Director James Conlon, who announced that he’d be leaving his post at the end of next season (after 20 years…fine, whatever, Judas), made his way into the pit to the sound of absolutely rapturous applause. I think I got a little teary-eyed at the thought and the curtain hadn’t even gone up. He waited for absolute quiet as I stiffened my critical backbone only to be destroyed by the most luscious and graceful prelude I think I’ve ever heard live. The high strings trilled so delicately and so exquisitely while their lower colleagues brought the big tune and then just the right modicum of foreboding. It’s a good thing the curtain went up when it did. – Parterre

Conlon’s deep intelligence and abiding love of Verdi, along with his ability to meld drama, poetry and music into a coherent and all-embracing experience, was the hallmark of this performance, and what LA audiences have come to expect from him. Under Conlon’s baton, one has the rare privilege of hearing the orchestra, chorus and soloists perform as one instrument, not merely as an amalgam of parts. His great gift is knowing more than the mechanics of a piece of music – within his conducting lies the social, literary and musical history of the work, enriching the piece beyond measure. – Seen and Heard International