Published on December 18th, 2011 02:08 AM
Number of Views: 467
La Traviata – Sources
Chronology:
The libretto is based on La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils, who wrote both a novel and a play with the same title.
The novel was first published in Paris by editor Alexandre Cadot, 1848, in 2 volumes (340 and 362 p.), reprinted in one volume by the same editor in 1851.
A revised and corrected version was published in 1852 by editor Michel Lévy.
Another revision with corrections by the author was published by the same editor in 1872.
The play in five acts with songs was published in Paris by D. Giraud and L. Dagneau in 1852, 105p.
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Of course, they are also part of La Traviata's historical record of performances.
During the 19th century, those cust became fossilized and they were included in almost all of the 20th century productions.
The main cuts are:
The second half of "Ah, fors'è lui".
With those verses:
A me fanciulla, un candido
E trepido desire
Questi effigiò dolcissimo
Signor dell'avvenire,
Quando nè cieli il raggio
Di sua beltà vedea,
E tutta me pascea
Di quel divino error.
Sentia che amore è palpito
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As mentioned in a previous article, the first performance of La Traviata was a little 'fiasco'. However, the second one, also in Venice, but at Teatro San Benedetto, in 1854,
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Almost any major Opera star of the fach will sing the courtesan in one moment of her career, or another. Even some sopranos that should have stayed miles away from Violetta.
As the saying goes, one needs three sopranos to proper sing Violetta. A coloratura for the first act, a lyrical for the second, and a dramatic for the third. There is a little exageration, of course, but not that much. Violetta is fiendishly difficult to sing, and of course the need for some acting (not to mention looks, sometimes) just increases the difficulty to cast the role right.
Of the literally thousands of available Violettas, this is a
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She was the Violetta of the first La Traviata complete recording, conducted by the enigmatic Lorenzo Molajoli. Capsir's career was mainly based in Italy, though she also sung several times in London and Barcelona. Her coloratura was great, she exhibits a perfect breath control and she was a top 'Act 1 Violetta". Her lyric abandonment, however, can be questioned. As 'instrumental singing'
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Olivero was preparing the role with Maestro Gerussi, when Maestro Serafin called her, and explained that she was in an ideal position to give the difficult romanza that closes Act 1, its proper due. The coloratura is not an end in itself, is just a way to show Violetta's astonishment, being trapped by love for the first time in her life. "Am I crazy?, Am I crazy?"... Olivero
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Many people don't immediately associate Violetta with Tebaldi, regardless she sung several times the role (and with some success), and there is also a DECCA recording, in 1954 (not great, other live recordings are better). Clearly, Tebaldi was always hard pressed by the first Act coloratura, that she used to transpose down. She
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Published on December 17th, 2011 02:29 PM
Number of Views: 1005
Everything we have been saying about Violetta's voice: that she needs a coloratura in the first act, a lyric in the second, and a spinto/dramatic in the third, on top of being a good actress (and good looking, too!), and keep the Verdian style without verismo tics... It's really possible to get all this in a single woman?.
It is, and we have the proof in Maria Callas.
The debut of Callas as Violetta was in Florence, in January, 1951.
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Violetta was one the preferred roles for Joan Sutherland, that in the first act, of course, was perfectly at home. She was also one to push for the complete score to be sung, but adding the 'traditional' not written top notes in "Sempre libera" or "O mio rimorso". Her recording in the 1960s is a very good one. Apart from a wonderful Act 1, she is convincingly sad, but defiant, in Act 2, though Violetta's dying moments in Act 3 are missing some drama. Her Italian diction
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Published on December 17th, 2011 02:44 PM
Number of Views: 622
Beverly Sills
Sills was already singing Traviata touring America while still very young, in the 1950s. But it's not until almost twenty years later that she was recognized as a leading Violetta, especially in Italy, where a performance with Alfredo Kraus in Naples, was a big success. Her studio recording
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Published on December 17th, 2011 02:47 PM
Number of Views: 518
Teresa Stratas
Violetta is a role that, like few others, requires from the singer a very hard to attain combination of vocal beauty and a rare expressive intensity balancing apparent strength with evident vulnerability. Ms. Stratas was really fantastic on the expressive area. You can watch her
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During those years, opera CDs are gradually dying and giving birth to opera in DVD. Previously, of course, there was also opera recorded in VHS or Betamax, but it was always far of the penetration reached by the DVD format. Studer's CD recording with Pavarotti and Pons, was one of the last. Ms. Studer is an underrated Violetta. Her voice was warm and flexible, and
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Published on December 18th, 2011 06:54 PM
Number of Views: 2428
5. Musical Analysis
La Traviata – Musical structure
With Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and La Traviata, Verdi began to break the mold of formula and predictability by merging recitative, aria, and ensemble. He wanted clear dramatic continuity.
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Published on December 17th, 2011 11:54 PM
Number of Views: 617
Verdi intended La Traviata to be not only a musical entertainment, but a challenging work of theatre. Going against operatic tradition, he presented a modern-day drama of the Parisian demi-monde, featuring a courtesan who tries to embrace a more conventional life, is thwarted by social stigma, and succumbs to the ravages of tuberculosis.
Nevertheless, despite Verdi's scrupulous intentions, from its very premiere the work has been staged in other than the originally intended setting. Censors, afraid of the work's topicality, caused the first productions to be set in the safe distance of the early 1700s:
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This list of 253 recordings on audio and visual media goes up to 2009 and was generated by CLOR for THE COMPILER and can be found in the Operadis database:
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This article will be for reviews of La Traviata on CD by staff and members of Opera Lively. New reviews will be added as they are written. There is another one for DVDs and blu-rays.
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This article will be for reviews of La Traviata on DVD and blu-ray. Another one for CDs will be created. We'll publish the reviews here as they get written by our staff and members.
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This full review was written by Almaviva:
La Traviata, opera in three acts (1853), music by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
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[Note from the Editor - while this is not exactly discography, while we wait for more content under this section with reviews of CDs and DVDs/blu-rays of La Traviata, we'll have the following excellente contribution here, which will allow readers of this thread to listen to the complete opera in a public domain recording of a famous broadcast - thanks, itywltmt.]
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