La traviata (2015)

Recognised as Giuseppe Verdi’s only opera set in his own era, La traviata marked a revolution in the psychological and human portrayal of its characters. This production by the Teatro Real features musical direction by Renato Palumbo, staging by David McVicar, and the magnificent voices of soprano Ermonela Jaho and tenor Francesco Demuro as the famous and tormented lovers Violetta Valéry and Alfredo Germont.

Based on The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas fils, the opera tells the story of the courtesan Violetta Valéry, who shines in 19th-century Paris, surrounded by frivolous luxury and the attentions of her social circle. Violetta’s life takes a radical turn when the young nobleman Alfredo Germont declares his sincere love for her, convincing her to leave the Parisian life behind and retire with him to the countryside. However, the couple’s idyllic life together is threatened by the strict pressures of a hypocritical bourgeois society, forcing the protagonist to choose between her own happiness and her lover’s honour.