On December 15, the opera company will premiere La Traviata , one of the most performed operas by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi .
The audience of the largest Venetian theater, La Fenice, did not accept the premiere of La Traviata, which took place on March 6, 1853. The reason was the theme – the fate of a prostitute – and also the inappropriate casting of the title role. Only its second staging a year later brought this most performed opera the well-deserved success.
The tragic story of the prostitute was set to music by Giuseppe Verdi based on the autobiographical novel and play The Lady with the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas the Younger, who described his unrequited love for the famous courtesan Marie Duplessis in the novel. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave. Verdi was enthusiastic about the work of Dumas. The tragic story of a woman who wanted to change her life reminded him of the problems with his partner, the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, with whom he had been cohabiting for many years, to which society reacted very negatively. The personal experience certainly strengthened the understanding and sympathy with the main heroine of the opera. The opera La Traviata was written by Verdi in his most prolific period, when other operatic works were produced, e.g. Luisa Miller , Stiffelio , Rigoletto, Troubadour , Sicilian Vespers , Simon Boccanegra , Masquerade Ball , Force of Fate , Don Carlos .
The main storyline of the opera La Traviatais the fate of a famous courtesan who destroyed many men psychologically and financially. The opera captures Violetta in the period when she falls ill with tuberculosis. At a party, she meets Alfred, who falls madly in love with her. Violetta discovers another form of love that gives her a chance to change her life. Alfréd and Violetta rent a house near Paris, where they live a "normal" relationship. Violetta does not have the stamp of a courtesan here, and staying in the countryside and a completely different lifestyle will improve her health. The flaw in beauty is the lack of funds. Violetta sells jewelry, Alfréd tries to get money in cards, etc. A fundamental turn is caused by Alfréd's father - he persuades or rather forces Violetta to leave Alfréd so that his respectable sister can get married. Violetta returns to her old way of life in Paris and at a party at Flora's she is confronted with the insults of Alfredo, who does not understand their breakup and does not know its background. Returning to night life, Violetta's illness develops into the final stage - abandoned by everyone, she waits for death and longs to meet Alfred once more.
A word from the director: "The controversial setting where love is bought, contrasted with the main character's attempt at a new life, which is sacrificed for other, 'better' people, and Verdi's wonderful melodies have made this opera one of the most performed operas in the world. The central motif and driving force of the story is love in many forms - animalistic and salable, love with feeling, love jealous, love forgiving and necessary to cope with death."
