La Traviata

With »La Traviata« in the mid-19th century, a contemporary figure appeared on the stage for the first time in the history of opera. Verdi not only created a work that was very relevant to its time: more than that, he painted a moving musical portrait of a woman ostracised by society that displays considerable psychological insight.

Verdi employs great sensitivity in his characterisation of the heroine of Alexandre Dumas’s novel »La Dame aux Camélias«, using sparkling coloraturas to depict the pleasure-seeking courtesan at the beginning, and naturalistic declamation for the sincerely loving woman at the end of the story.

In the process, Verdi looks into his characters’ souls as few other composers have done, showing them with all their weaknesses and emotions, in joy and sorrow, in love and in despair – often enough holding up a mirror in which the audience saw their own reflections.