La traviata
Giuseppe Verdi
Work background
Researched classical background
Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave adapted a contemporary drama for an opera centered on Violetta, a courtesan, and Alfredo, the man who loves her. Public festivity gives way to increasingly private conflict as family expectations and illness reshape their relationship. The score's dance rhythms and intimate vocal writing connect social display with personal vulnerability across the three acts.
Inspiration and creative background
The libretto adapts Alexandre Dumas fils's play La Dame aux camelias.
La Traviata | Metropolitan Opera
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
La traviata
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
A listening guide
Compare Violetta's public musical brilliance with the simpler, more exposed writing of her private scenes.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra
Premiere: 1853
First performed at La Fenice in Venice; the premiere date does not identify every stage of composition.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
La Traviata | Metropolitan Opera
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
La traviata
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
La Traviata | Metropolitan Opera
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
La traviata
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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