The orchestra from the first swish of Arthur Fagen’s baton was exquisite. The strings hummed with the sweet sadness layered in Verdi’s score. Listening to the Act 1 prelude carried the audience to Violetta’s party in scene 1. The orchestra played as one instrument while accompanying the vocalists on stage.

The first Act Prelude was gorgeous, replete with ethereal strings and delicately calibrated dynamics....Fagen's conducting was otherwise admirable, in particular showing great attentiveness to Verdi's orchestration.

Friday night the orchestra, led by Arthur Fagen fizzed under the chorus's opening "Dell'invito trascorsa  e' gia l'ora" ....affording the singers plenty of room.

And I liked the grand-but-tender sounds I heard guest conductor Arthur Fagen teasing from the orchestra down in the pit.

I must reserve some praise for the excellent playing of the BLO Orchestra under Arthur Fagen. They infallibly set the mood, often with self-effacing virtuosity, e.g., the introduction to Flora's party and its entertainment portions. Also, at the very beginning of the opera, the ppp strings materialized out of nothing to describe a mixture of tragedy, hope, yearning, and love, symbolic of Violetta - and indeed the opera itself.