La traviata
Exuberant, intoxicating parties, luxurious, unbridled living, sparkling champagne - and the tragic creep of terminal illness. This is the life of the Lady of the Camellias until great love unexpectedly enters her life. But can love really conquer all?
Giuseppe Verdi creates a portrait of a society that tries to forget all its misery in the splendour of glittering parties. Violetta wants to break free, leave her past life behind and seek happiness with Alfredo. But the past casts its shadow over the desperate lovers. Verdi's opera project was initially met with fierce criticism. It seemed too daring to bring a contemporary subject to the operatic stage with a courtesan at its centre. It was precisely these characters that inspired Verdi to create the musical and dramatic alchemy that makes La traviata one of the best loved works in the history of opera. Nationaltheater Mannheim offers OperaVision the first night of their new production live. Director Luise Kautz tells the story through the psychology of the characters and examines how, in a world without natural order, the individual remains alone in the search for meaning. In the face of approaching death, Violetta chooses a path away from collective stupor and asks herself what is worth living for.
CAST
Violetta | Seunghee Kho |
|---|---|
Alfredo | Sung Min Song |
Germont | Nikola Diskić |
Grenvil | Patrick Zielke |
Douphol | Ilya Lapich |
Flora | Ruth Häde |
Annina | Yaara Attias |
Gaston | Christopher Diffey |
d’Obigny | Thomas Jesatko |
Giuseppe | Ilia Aksionov |
Commissioner | Ciprian Marele |
Orchestra | Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim |
Chorus | Opernchor des Nationaltheaters Mannheim |
| ... | |
Music | Giuseppe Verdi |
|---|---|
Text | Francesco Maria Piave |
Conductor | Roberto Rizzi Brignoli |
Director | Luise Kautz |
Sets | Valentin Mattka |
Costumes | Adrian Bärwinkel |
Choreography collaborator | Luches Huddleston Jr. |
Lights | Nicole Berry |
Dramaturgy | Eszter Orbán |
Chorus Master | Alistair Lilley |
| ... | |
Videos
STORY
Act 1
Violetta Valery, the most radiant courtesan in Paris, hosts a ball attended by Parisian bohemians, aristocrats, and wealthy gentlemen, as well as her doctor and other courtesans, including the popular Flora. Violetta appears alongside her patron, the wealthy Baron Douphol. During the ball, however, she is introduced to young Alfredo Germont, who immediately and openly courts her favor. As it turns out, Alfredo has already been in love with Violetta for a year. When Violetta suddenly faints, the concerned Alfredo tries to convince her to abandon her self-destructive lifestyle and choose his love instead. Violetta is torn: Should she give up her glamorous but empty life of pleasures to finally be truly loved and able to love in return?
Act 2
Three months later, Violetta and Alfredo are living happily together in the countryside near Paris. However, the carefree country life is expensive, and Violetta must sell her valuables to cover the expenses. When Alfredo realizes this, he is overcome with shame and rushes to Paris to obtain money. Meanwhile, Violetta receives an invitation from Flora to a ball that same evening. During Alfredo's absence, his father, Giorgio Germont, appears and asks her to leave Alfredo, as a relationship with a courtesan would bring the entire Germont family into disrepute. Violetta's heart nearly breaks, but finally she promises to make this sacrifice for her beloved's family. She asks for only one thing: that Alfredo be told the truth when she is gone. The elder Germont is impressed by Violetta's generosity and leaves her.
Violetta begins to write a farewell letter, but the returning Alfredo surprises her. In tears, she embraces her beloved but leaves him in an emotional state. Shortly after, the unsuspecting Alfredo receives Violetta's letter ending their relationship. Giorgio Germont appears again to comfort his son and ask him to return to his family. Alfredo learns that Violetta has accepted the invitation to Flora's ball and believes she has left him for her former life and the Baron.
That same evening at Flora's ball, rumors spread about Violetta and Alfredo's separation. The unexpectedly appearing Alfredo confirms the rumor himself. When Violetta arrives with the Baron, Alfredo makes provocative remarks, leading the Baron to challenge him to a duel: they begin a high-stakes card game. Alfredo wins repeatedly, and tensions rise. Flora invites the guests to dinner, allowing Violetta to speak privately with Alfredo. She begs him to leave the ball to prevent an escalation between him and the Baron. The unhappy man pleads with her to return to him, but she keeps her promise to the elder Germont and claims she loves the Baron. Young Alfredo, overwhelmed by pain and anger, humiliates Violetta in front of the entire company.
Act 3
Violetta is dying. Only her maid Annina and the doctor have stayed with her. The noise of the Paris carnival reaches her room from afar. Violetta thinks of her lost love and prepares to bid farewell to life. Unexpectedly, Alfredo appears, to whom his father has now told the whole truth. He happily embraces his beloved, but Violetta collapses powerlessly into his arms. Shortly after, the elder Germont arrives to express his gratitude, but it is too late: Violetta dies in the arms of her beloved.
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