La Traviata
Where did the gentlemen of 19th century Paris go once their wives had gone to bed? Why, off to another bed of course. The one occupied by their mistresses.
The title La Traviata literally means The Woman Who Strayed, and this is the intimate story of a fallen woman, a tragic heroine and true unadulterated love.
Young, handsome Alfredo falls madly in love with Violetta, in spite of the fact that she’s a courtesan, who has been all too happy to live off the Baron for the past year.
And Violetta falls for Alfie and they set up home together in the country. It all passes blissfully enough until one day Alfredo’s father turns up and convinces Violetta that she must leave his son in order to avoid bringing scandal to the family name, forcing her to concoct a series of heart-breaking lies to forestall her lover.
Once Alfredo discovers the truth of her selfless sacrifice, he rushes again to her side – but it is too late.
Violetta has consumption (courtesans seldom die of anything but; think Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge) and Violetta takes her last, slow panting breath. But somehow her lungs offer up one last song.
“Bohemian artists, showgirls, courtesans… the rich and the wretched mix together within the shady underworld of the Parisian demi-monde,” says the Theatre Royal.
“The setting perfectly encompasses the power and devastation of this passionate encounter in what is sure to be a deeply moving and immensely powerful production.”
Scottish director David McVicar and Tanya McCallin, the creative team behind Scottish Opera’s Der Rosenkavalier, bring you this authentic take on one of the world’s most famous operas.