La traviata
also Violetta
opera
Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist Francesco Maria Piave
Synopsis
Violetta Valéry, a Parisian courtesan whose protector is the Baron Douphol, gives a party at which the young Alfredo Germont declares his love for her. She is already suffering from consumption, and though his sincerity moves her, she resolves to stay free.
Versions
Key facts
- Premiere
- 6 March 1853, Teatro La Fenice, Venice
- Acts
- 3
- Language
- Italian (it)
- Setting
- Paris and its surroundings, in 1853 (though the premiere staging set it around 1700).
What's different
The original, first given at the Teatro La Fenice, where it failed. Verdi wanted the opera played in the dress of the present day, as Dumas's play was, and told the Fenice through its impresario that part of the opera would be sacrificed otherwise; the management insisted on moving the action back, and the libretto printed for the premiere sets it in Paris about 1700. Verdi withdrew the opera and revised it for a new cast a year later.
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Violetta Valéry A courtesan. | soprano | Fanny Salvini-Donatelli |
| Flora Bervoix Violetta's friend. | mezzo-soprano | Speranza Giuseppini |
| Annina Violetta's maid. | soprano | Carlotta Berini |
| Alfredo Germont A young man of good family. | tenor | Lodovico Graziani |
| Giorgio Germont Alfredo's father. | baritone | Felice Varesi |
| Gastone Vicomte de Letorières, Alfredo's friend. | tenor | Angelo Zuliani |
| Il Barone Douphol Violetta's protector. | baritone | Francesco Dragone |
| Il Marchese d'Obigny Flora's friend. | bass | Arnaldo Silvestri |
| Il Dottore Grenvil A doctor. | bass (profondo) | Andrea Bellini |
| Giuseppe Violetta's servant. | tenor | Giuseppe Borsato |
| Un domestico di Flora A servant of Flora. | bass | Giuseppe Tona |
| Un commissionario A messenger. | bass | Placido Meneguzzi |
Key facts
- Premiere
- 6 May 1854, Teatro San Benedetto, Venice
- Acts
- 3
- Language
- Italian (it)
- Setting
- Paris and its surroundings, in 1853 (though the premiere staging set it around 1700).
What's different
The revision Verdi made for the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice, which he conducted, with Maria Spezia-Aldighieri as Violetta, and which succeeded where the first production had not. He reworked several numbers and left the rest as it stood. Primary here because the critical edition takes it as the principal text and it is the version performed.
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Violetta Valéry A courtesan. | soprano | Maria Spezia-Aldighieri |
| Flora Bervoix Violetta's friend. | mezzo-soprano | — |
| Annina Violetta's maid. | soprano | — |
| Alfredo Germont A young man of good family. | tenor | Francesco Landi |
| Giorgio Germont Alfredo's father. | baritone | Filippo Coletti |
| Gastone Vicomte de Letorières, Alfredo's friend. | tenor | — |
| Il Barone Douphol Violetta's protector. | baritone | — |
| Il Marchese d'Obigny Flora's friend. | bass | — |
| Il Dottore Grenvil A doctor. | bass (profondo) | — |
| Giuseppe Violetta's servant. | tenor | — |
| Un domestico di Flora A servant of Flora. | bass | Antonio Manzini |
| Un commissionario A messenger. | bass | Antonio Manzini |
Source
- La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils (1852)
Written from
- Budden, J. (1979) The operas of Verdi. Volume 2: From Il trovatore to La forza del destino. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 113-166.
- Wikipedia (2026) La traviata. (Accessed: 28 September 2026). The English article.
- Libretti d'opera (n.d.) La traviata. (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
- Piave, F. M. (1853) La traviata. Milan: Giovanni Ricordi. (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
- Casaglia, G. (n.d.) '6 Marzo 1853', in L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia. (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
- Casaglia, G. (n.d.) '6 Maggio 1854', in L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia. (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
- Ricordi (n.d.) Verdi, La traviata: critical edition. (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
- Wikipedia (2026) La traviata. (Accessed: 28 September 2026). The Italian article.