La traviata

Courtesan Violetta Valéry, adored by the male part of the Paris high society, initially rejects the advances of young Alfred Germont, yet she later comes to the realisation that she can only be happy by his side. Notwithstanding the scandal, the lovers leave Paris to lead a bucolic life in the village. The idyll is ruined by the growing pile of bills, a sickness, and family obligations.

Traviata has everything it takes to move even the coldest of hearts. The power of great passion, the readiness to make a sacrifice, a tragic choice, and beautiful music. Francesco Maria Piave, Verdi’s favourite librettist, turned the story of the lady of the Camellias into the best opera romance of all time. When asked which of his operas he liked the most, the composer himself replied without hesitation that as a professional he chooses Rigoletto, as an amateur – Traviata.