La traviata

La Traviata is set in the world of Parisian high society. This popular opera tells the story of the courtesan, Violetta Valéry: her loves and her sad fate. It is based on the dramatic adaptation of the romantic novel, "La Dame aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas fils, modeled by the author on the high-class mistress, Marie Duplessis. Giuseppe Verdi then took the story, making its heroine a contemporary woman, and writing an innovative opera in which he raised the role of the music itself to that of expressing the story's emotions. Starting with "Libiamo ne' lieti calici", which has become a well-known, staple tune of gala concerts, the work features numerous other famous songs, such as Violetta's most technically demanding aria, "Ah, fors'è lui-sempre libera", in the prelude foretelling tragedy, and Germont's "Di Provenza il mar, il suol".

The director, Vincent Boussard, is noted for sophisticated staging with an unerring eye for colour. His production of "La traviata" (first staged in 2015) displays that aesthetic sensibility. At the same time, he effectively holds up a mirror on the world to paint an imagined landscape, taking the theme of a woman's fate in the world of men. Upon curtain fall, we are left with the vivid picture of a woman who has lived her life with unwavering pride.

The cast features the rising star Carolina López Moreno as the highly acclaimed Violetta, and Alfredo Germont is portrayed by famed Verdi specialist Antonio Corianò. Star baritone Roberto Frontali appears as the father, Giorio Germont. The performance is conducted by Leo Hussain, renowned for excellence in both concert and opera works.