FLEMING IS DELECTABLE ICING ON L.A. OPERA CAKE.

Byline: David Mermelstein Correspondent

Last week was a great one for local opera lovers.

A long-promised Los Angeles Opera production of Wagner's ``Ring'' cycle seems closer to reality than ever, thanks to a $6 million gift from Eli and Edythe Broad, announced last Wednesday.

And on Saturday night, James Conlon, for nine years chief conductor of the Paris Opera, led his first performance as the company's music director, Verdi's ``La Traviata.'' That production -- a spruced-up version of Marta Domingo's old-fashioned and supposedly retired staging -- was notable for another L.A. Opera achievement, the stage debut of soprano Renee Fleming.

Fleming, as anyone who has seen her timepiece ads in upscale magazines knows, is America's reigning diva, a woman of rare beauty, exceptional poise and -- oh, yes -- a remarkable voice. She had graced the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage under the company's aegis three times before, in two recitals and a concert, but getting her in costume proved elusive. Even now, her appearances as Violetta Valery, the courtesan with the heart of gold, total only three and are in conjunction with the filming of a DVD to be released by Decca, Fleming's record label.

Nor was Fleming the only big name in this cast. In what turned out to be a perfect pairing, Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon sang Alfredo, a role he had previously sung here in 2001. Placing the mature but ravishing Fleming opposite the comparatively callow, slightly gawky Villazon brought rare and welcome veracity to this production. The presence of eminent Italian baritone Renato Bruson, as Alfredo's father, only added to that picture. A stalwart of Verdi's opera since the 1960s, Bruson was making an even-more-belated company debut than Fleming.

On opening night, there was little to quibble about. Violetta has lately become one of Fleming's signature roles, and she acted the part as compellingly as she sang it, which was warmly, with sparkling top notes and an ease with the vocal line any singer would envy.

Villazon, too, impressed, despite a stubborn bleat that some listeners may find endearing. But his ardent vocalism was hard to resist in any case, as were those heavy-browed bug eyes he kept flashing in Fleming's direction.

Bruson was actually a replacement for Siberian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, but anyone fearing second-best needn't have worried. Bruson is in exceptional voice for a man his age, with no loss of texture to his robust sound. Plus, his portrayal benefits from years of stage experience. So, good as Fleming was in the Act 2 confrontation scene between them, it was Bruson, with his mixture of determination and compassion, who proved riveting.

And let's not forget Conlon, whose continued presence in the pit for the next three seasons, and probably beyond, is really worth celebrating. His predecessor, Kent Nagano, elevated the scrappy L.A. Opera Orchestra to credible ensemble. But it's already obvious that Conlon will take the musicians further. Previously unheard cohesion from these players was a hallmark of his conducting, as were numerous felicities in playing that, while noticed, never distracted from the action on stage.

LA TRAVIATA - Three and one half stars

What: Renee Fleming makes her L.A. Opera debut in Verdi's famed work.

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 7:30 tonight and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $35 to $350. [phone]. www.losangelesopera.com.

In a nutshell: A strong account of a classic opera.

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Photo:

``La Traviata,'' with Renee Fleming, is being shot for DVD.