“La Traviata”, in the Liceu
Giuseppe Verdi’s three-act opera can be seen from the 14th to the 29th of October
The upcoming programme for the Gran Teatre del Liceu includes none other than Verdi’s La Traviata, an opera that is as well-known as it is atypical among the composer’s works. Staged for the first time on the 6th of March, 1853, in the La Fenice Theatre, in Venice, the opera is an adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas (son) novel The Lady of the Camellias.
The opera tells the tale of Violetta Valéry, who recounts her life from her deathbed. A well-known Parisian courtesan, Violetta renounced her former lifestyle when she became hopelessly enamoured of Alfredo Germont. Unfortunately, the relationship was expressly prohibited by his family, who were scandalised by the affair.
While the opera has enjoyed huge success in modern times, it initially received fierce criticism due to the fact that Verdi makes reference to diseases such as syphilis and tuberculosis and points the finger at the hypocrisy of the fashionable society of the era, who were quick to condemn the relationship between the composer and the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi.
The Liceu staging is a coproduction of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Scottish Opera of Glasgow, the Welsh National Opera of Cardiff and the Teatro Real de Madrid and features the musical direction of Evelino Pido and the dramatic virtuosity of stage director David McVicar.
La Traviata can be seen in the Gran Teatre del Liceu from the 14th to the 29th of October and is programmed to be repeated during the month of July next year. Ticket prices range from 11 to 222 euros and more information is available here.