Teatro Real: La Traviata
After its initial rejection, Verdi's unique opera, whose action unfolds in a contemporary setting, La traviata, based on Alexandre Dumas' The Lady of the Camellias, became one of the most acclaimed works of the composer.
This came about because of the universal values that are brought to light following the tragedy of a high-society courtesan -another of those left in the wake of the history of opera- who renounces even life itself to protect the honour of her lover, demonstrating with her self-sacrifice a grandeur lacking in the hypocritical bourgeois society that abused and then rejected her. A story that brought Verdi legendary status through music with a profound sense of humanity and psychological portrayal of the characters and their feelings.
Behind the outward show of luxury and frivolous pleasure, the "populous desert they call Paris" hides the stark cruelty of a social class for whom everything can be bought and sold. With this backdrop of bitter transience, only Violetta stands as a classic heroine, whose sacrifice transcends love and death.
These two themes that the opera revolves around are also brought to life by the staging of David McVicar, who, with his usual elegance, sets the drama in a world of romantic references while retaining an up-to-date perspective.
