The brilliant production signed by David McVicar
"Every time a play was premiered, she would go to see it, and she was never without three things that she always placed on the edge of her orchestra box: her binoculars, a small bag of chocolates, and a bouquet of camellias."
Chapter II, Alexandre Dumas: The Lady of the Camellias.
La traviata, or Violetta Valéry, is a Parisian courtesan with a glamorous life who sells her body, much like La dama de las camélies by Dumas fils, the source of Verdi's opera. A woman with her own light, who, suffering from tuberculosis, will have to sacrifice her pure love for Alfredo Germont due to social conventions. Alfredo's father disapproves of the relationship, and the family's reputation comes into question.
Violetta, initially materialistic and vain, will become the new victim of a capitalist system that devours dreams. With brilliant and virtuosic music, it brutally critiques a society of appearances, a machine that destroys personalities, especially when they belong to women who aspire to be free. Thus, Sempre libera, Violetta's most famous aria, is an anthem, a desperate cry to claim a space that she doesn’t yet realize she is about to lose. The origins of this story can be traced back to a historical figure: the courtesan Marie Duplessis, who died of tuberculosis in 1847. Shortly before her death, Duplessis had a brief affair with Alexandre Dumas (fils), who transformed this personal chapter into a semi-autobiographical novel: La dama de las camélies, published in 1848.
Later, Dumas adapted the work for the theatre, which premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris on February 2, 1852. Giuseppe Verdi was often inspired by French theatre. Ernani and Rigoletto were based on works by Victor Hugo, and just a few months after the premiere of La dama de las camélies, Verdi had already decided it would be the basis for his new opera commissioned by La Fenice in Venice. Together with the librettist Francesco Maria Piave, Verdi created one of the most realistic dramas of his career, an opera that does not shy away from the moral and medical tensions of the original material—issues he considered to be “contemporary matters.”
Verdi confronted his contemporaries with his own hypocritical morality.
The role of Violetta requires an exceptionally versatile singer and actress. It is said—rightly—that the ideal is for the role to be performed by three different sopranos: one for each act. The soprano Nadine Sierra, the queen of this theatre, will embody the tragic heroine alongside Javier Camarena, the charismatic Mexican tenor who will be her “caro Alfredo.” The main trio is completed by the Verdi baritone Artur Ruciński.
The brilliant production directed by David McVicar foreshadows the vulnerability of the “camellia” in the prophecy of this broken longing.
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils.
- World premiere: 06/03/1853 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
- Premiere in Barcelona: 25/10/1855 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
- Last performance at the Liceu: 30/12/2020.
- Total performances at the Liceu: 267.
With the collaboration of:
Artistic profile
- Stage Direction
- David McVicar
- Choreography
- Andrew George
- Set Design and Costumes
- Tanya McCallin
- Lighting
- Jennifer Tipton
- Production
- Gran Teatre del Liceu, Scottish Opera (Glasgow), Teatro Real i Welsh National Opera.
- Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Pablo Assante, director)
- Symphony Orchestra of the del Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Assistance to the Musical Direction| Daniel Perpiñán
- Director
- Giacomo Sagripanti
Cast
