Write a commentLa Traviata opens the current season of Oswego Opera Theater on November 11 and 12. During Verdi’s lifetime in the 19th century, this was one of the most frequently performed of all his operas, and it has continued to be through to the present day.
The story, though poignant, feels immediate, and the melodies are beautiful.
The libretto is based on a book, La dame aux camelias, (The Woman of the Camelias) by Alexandre Dumas (fils) in 1848. It was made into a play in 1852, that Verdi attended while visiting France. By April, 1852, Verdi had agreed to compose a new opera for the Carnival Season of 1853 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, with Francesco Piave as librettist. La Traviata was written in record time to meet that deadline, for Verdi was continuing work on Il Trovatore, whose premiere in Rome took place less than two months before that of La Traviata on March 6, 1853. This was Verdi’s most prolific period, because he composed 16 operas between March 1842 to March 1853 (Traviata). He chose works that had proved their worth as spoken dramas, with strong subjects, or those written by famous authors. But La Traviata’s subject is novel, for the middle of the 19th century, because the scale is intimate and bourgeois, not heroic or noble. The heroine is a fallen woman who earns redemption through sacrifice. La Traviata means the “fallen woman” or “the one who goes astray” and refers to the main character, Violetta Valery, a courtesan.
Act 1, set in Violetta’s salon in Paris, opens with a lavish party she is hosting to celebrate her recovery from an illness. Some of the guests are her friend Flora and her lover, Violetta’s current lover, Baron Douphol, and her friend Viscount Gastone, who introduces her to Alfredo Germont, a young bourgeois from a provincial family who has loved her from afar.
Act 2, scene 1 occurs three months later in Violetta’s country house outside of Paris, where Alfredo and Violetta are living together, and Violetta has fallen in love with Alfredo. While Alfredo is away in Paris, his father Giorgio Germont arrives and demands that Violetta relinquish her relationship with Alfredo, since, due to her reputation, this has threatened his daughter’s engagement. Violetta explains her love for Alfredo, but reluctantly agrees. In scene 2 Violetta attends a party at Flora’s house with Baron Douphol, but also sees Alfredo, and a misunderstanding occurs leading to a duel.
Act 3 takes place in Violetta’s bedroom, where Dr. Grenvil tells Violetta’s maid that her mistress does not have long to live. A letter from Alfredo’s father tells her that he has informed Alfredo of her sacrifice for him and is sending his son to her as quickly as possible to ask for her forgiveness. After Alfredo arrives, the lovers unite, but it is too late.
The directors have assembled a talented cast of musicians to perform Verdi’s music. The title character, Violetta, is played by Julia Ebner, soprano, whose background and experience in opera prepared her for this role, one of the most demanding in Verdi’s works. Ms. Ebner has delighted Oswego audiences with past roles in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and Mozart’s Magic Flute. Her extensive vocal career has included performances with Syracuse Opera, Tri Cities Opera, Santa Fe Opera, The Florida Opera, and many other companies throughout the country. She has also sung soprano solos in performances of choral oratorios and masses with the Syracuse Masterworks Chorale, the Binghamton Downtown Singers, and many others. She currently teaches voice at Onondaga Community College, Le Moyne College, and Syracuse University, where she also directs their Opera Workshop.
Oswego Opera Theater has presented La Traviata twice before – in 1985 in conjunction with the Bronx Opera Company and again in 2006. The present production is directed by two exceptional musicians, Juan LaManna and Benjamin Spierman, co-directors of Oswego Opera Theater, very talented vocal soloists in major roles, a chorus, and orchestra. Although performed in Italian, there will be English subtitles.
The performance will be held on Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 12 at 2:00 p.m. in Waterman Theater, Tyler Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus.
Tickets are available at the SUNY Oswego Box Office in the Marano Campus Center and online at tickets.oswego.edu, or by phone 315 312-3073. Prices are $30 for general admission, $25 for senior citizens, and $10 for students.
