Stephen Costello Leans On Family Member During Tough Times

Familial Lifeline: Stephen Costello (left) with his cousin
Brian Costello (Photo: Facebook)

"'Not trusting people, not believing you have anyone there to support you. I did have people, but I just didn’t know they were there.' One of the few people who knew the full story was Costello’s cousin Brian Costello. They grew up together in the working class suburb of Northeast Philadelphia. Brian’s dad Pat co-founded a boxing club for underprivileged teens from the neighborhood with their uncle, Tim, named the Jack Costello Boxing Club after their father, Costello and Brian’s grandfather. At the opening of the boxing club in 1996, Stephen sang the national anthem for the inaugural exhibition fight, in which Brian fought. They were 15. Born less than a month apart, Costello and Brian grew up together having sleepovers every weekend, watching horror movies, and eating pizza. Costello’s interest in music started in sixth grade; Brian played the saxophone and Costello “wanted to be like Brian,” so he took up the trumpet. Brian, sober since 2010, lives in their grandmother’s old house in the Tacony section of Philadelphia right down the street from the boxing club with his wife Nicole and two children. When Costello first decided to divorce he called Brian, who flew immediately to be with him in Chicago. In the midst of his Traviata cancellation crisis, Costello called Brian again, just after he had pulled out of the first performance, and the second one approaching. Brian told The Daily Beast, 'He called me and I could barely hear him. He had such a depressed tone. He felt like he let people down.' Brian told Costello he had to let go of everything that happened prior, and the stress of worrying about what people thought and how things looked. He came to join him in New York, and attended Costello’s second night of Traviata, Brian’s first opera at the Met, and the first opera he had seen Costello in. Brian gave Costello the 24-hour AA coin they had given him the day he left rehab. 'I told him what happened yesterday or last week

Baritone Jarrett Ott Profiled For Opera Philadelphia "La Traviata"

Baritone Jarrett Ott (bottom) in Philadelphia, with current boyfriend Adam Franklin (top) who is the Artistic Administrator at The Santa Fe Opera, for performances of Verdi's La Traviata. (Photo: Facebook)

"No sooner than Opera Philadelphia scored a huge success last month with its queer-centric Andy: A Popera, in collaboration with FringeArts and the Bearded Ladies, comes the beginning of its season, its sparkling annual gala and the Oct. 2 start of La Traviata, the Verdi opera in three acts about fallen women and the men who love them. The antiquated notion of salvaging reputations (remember when celebrities, politicians and royalty could be shamed — ah, the past) is where we find the heart of La Traviata. Set at the mouth of 18th-century Paris and based on La Dame aux Camélias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, grand opera doesn’t come any grander or more traditional than this. 'The opera world is a gay man’s world,' Ott said, talking about the welcoming environment of the classical vocal stage. 'It’s never been frustrating, but rather comforting, to meet some of the warmest people.'.....'Getting to share the stage with this cast is pretty incredible,' Ott said. 'During this rehearsal process, I have had the wind knocked out of me several times listening to my colleagues. Philadelphia is in for an operatic treat with this gorgeous production all around.' When asked what is most testing about his role of Marchese, Ott was quick to joke, 'Going to the gym every day in order to be stripped down to shirtless in act two.'" [Source] Watch a video of rehearsal footage for La Traviata at Opera Philadelphia featuring Jarrett Ott, and a teaser clip for the production, after the jump.

Anna Netrebko And Yusif Eyvasov In Lebanon: The Full Concert

Diva Adorned: Kaftan and turban-clad (also covered in
Chopard jewels),  Anna Netrebko makes first appearance
in Lebanon. (Photo: Facebook)

On August 27, 2015, Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvasov took to the stage at the Beiteddine Art Festival in Lebanon to perform a concert full of arias and duets including works from Adriana Lecouvreur, Aida, Mefistofele, Otello, Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, Rusalka, La Bohème and more. Hear the full concert and see photos from the evening, after the jump. "The Beiteddine Festival is one of the leading festivals in the Middle East. It takes place in a large and magnificent 200-year old Palace in the Chouf Mountains, in Lebanon. The Palace is a jewel of Lebanese architecture with its many courtyards, monumental gates, elegant arcades and leveled galleries. Each year, in the months of July and August, the Festival presents outstanding performances by world famous stars and Lebanese artists. Concurrent with the performances, the Palace houses one or more international art exhibits. The Festival's first edition was launched in the summer of 1985 amidst the war. It came as an act of faith in Lebanon's cultural role and power of creativity, a call for normality amidst the chaos and madness of war. It was born and has grown in very difficult times and made it against all odds. As of 1987, when Nora Joumblat and an Executive Committee took over the organization of the Festival, it gradually gained regional and international recognition. Since 1997, a new step forward is recorded: the external courtyard of the Palace is fitted to host 5,000 persons. On the creative level, the Festival started producing its own performances, particularly Lebanese plays. The variety and the quality of the Festival's activities attract an ever-increasing audience (51,000 persons in 2003) in which the young generation is worthily represented The Festival is a non-profit organization." [Source]

Rolando Villazón "Traviata" Is Circus Clowns And A Willy Decker Clock

Time Stands Still For No One: La Traviata in Baden-Baden 
 (Photo: Andrea Kremper)

The new production of Verdi's La Traviata directed by Roland Villazón had its premiere on May 21, 2015, and the critics are giving their opinions on the opera that features soprano Olga Peretyatko and tenor Atalla Ayan. The first production Mr. Villazón directed for the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden was Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore in 2012. Watch a video featuring interviews and backstage rehearsals for La Traviata, after the jump.

Sonya Yoncheva Makes Vogue Magazine Spread For Debut

A Star is Born: Soprano Sonya Yoncheva Arrives

"As Yoncheva made her debut in major operas in Europe, word of her singular range and tone made its way to Gelb. 'We have a very sophisticated scouting system,' he later explained by phone. 'Sometimes I hear reports about young singers that make it clear we should bring them in. European opera houses are typically smaller than the Met. Singers who can make an impression in a smaller European house sometimes do not have the same success on stage at the Met. The singer has to be even more intensely charismatic on stage.' Following her turn as Gilda, Gelb said, Yoncheva has been on a 'meteoric rise to operatic stardom.' Tonight, Yoncheva will begin the first of four performances in La Traviata, one day after releasing her first album, the result of an exclusive, long-term deal with Sony Classical. She is now booked five years out, including in the opening of the Met’s next season, when she will sing the part of Desdemona in a new production of Verdi’s Otello that is slated for a live-broadcast in movie theaters around the world." [Source] Read the full article "Meet Sonya Yoncheva: Opera's Brightest New Star" by clicking here and see more photos by Vogue's Ruven Afanador after the jump. Sonya Yoncheva will be appearing at the Metropolitan Gift Shop on January 22 to sign copies of her new CD, see details here. Sample tracks off the soprano's new album are also after the jump. 

Soprano Claire Rutter Does House Chores And Likes Country Music

Western Girl: Rutter will sing the role of Minnie in
La Fanciulla del West with the Minnesota Opera
next month. Details here.

"For one of the world’s most in-demand opera stars, the image conjured up for me was, well, less than glamorous. The truth is, admitted Winchester’s Claire Rutter, I really enjoy finding the time to do the ironing while listening to country rock music. I pointed out this was hardly the diva-ish image fans might expect of the star who is currently wowing audiences as Violetta in La Traviata being staged at Hampshire’s Park Grange Opera. 'Having children certainly helps to keep you grounded. If we start singing around the house they tell us to shut up quite quickly,' confessed Claire, as we spoke prior to her appearance in a special concert this weekend to help raise funds for St John the Baptist Church in Alresford. And how does she relax when not doing the ironing? What music does an international opera star listen to when off duty? 'Certainly not opera. It’s like any job really. When you sing opera all the time it’s the last thing you want to listen to. In fact, the only time I will listen to opera is when I’m learning a piece or someone has sent me something for an opinion. Otherwise I enjoy country rock and jazz.' At that our telephone interview came to an end. The builders had arrived and a delivery of gravel was threatening to block the family’s drive. A diva’s life indeed." [Source]

Global Updates On Opera Events Taking Place In The Desert

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE - OMAN

"The Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, will launch its new season September 18th with a variety of performances from Oman and the Gulf, as well as from Arab and foreign countries. This season's performances will feature five operas including Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi and Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini as well as the Cologne Opera presenting My Fair Lady. The new season will include several Omani performances such as Omani Women's Day celebrations with Egyptian singer Angham as well as an Omani military musical performance, said Issam al-Mallah, programmes and events advisor to the Opera's board of directors. The Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra will be accompanying the Lebanese oud player and musician Marcel Khalife in concert and the Egyptian musician Omar Khairat in another concert. Lovers of Arabic melodies and music will have a chance to see Gulf singer Hussein al-Jasmi perform and Egyptian singer Amal Maher in an evening performance of Kulthumiyat, during which she will present the best of Umm Kulthum's songs. 'Every year, we pay attention to cater our performances to the taste of our Omani audience and those living in the sultanate as we have foreigners living with us from 90 Arab and foreign countries with their own preferences and cultures, so we aim for diversity and uniqueness in our performances,' said Nasser al-Taie, adviser on education and outreach to the board of directors. 'Our goal is for our performances to have cultural and humanitarian dimensions, carrying messages of peace, tolerance and love, and focusing on cultural immersion and human communication amongst nations through art and music as a global language,' he added." [Source]

OPERA LAS VEGAS

The Barber was at the Bayley last weekend and all was well as professional opera returned to Las Vegas in this hilarious production from Opera Las Vegas that was even funnier than the famous Bugs Bunny spoof. This production of The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) by Gioachino Rossini (sung in Italian with English supertitles) was surprisingly traditional when one remembers Opera Las Vegas’ innovative stagings of Pagliacci in 2007 and Tosca in 2012, but the simple, yet attractive set design worked well for this beloved comedy because it kept the focus on director Henry Price’s cartoonlike buffoonery. Opera Las Vegas Artistic Director and conductor Gregory Buchalter, who is also maestro di banda with the Metropolitan Opera, made a dashing figure as he led the Opera Las Vegas orchestra in a vivacious performance of the world’s most famous opera overture. He continued with a confident hand throughout the performance, ably supported by the production’s outstanding musicians and singers. The light as panna cotta plot of the opera revolves around the attempt by dashing Count Almaviva to whisk away the innocent young Rosina from the clutches of her lecherous guardian Don Bartolo with the assistance of Seville’s resident yenta, the barber Figaro. The story is straight out of Italian commedia dell’arte. Baritone Daniel Sutin, who sang the leading role of Wozzeck at the Met this season made his role debut as the famous Barber in this production. The cheese has fallen on the macaroni of his Figaro and he sang the role with infectious good humor in 'Largo al factotum della citta,' ('Make way for the factotum of the city'). His portrayal was role-defining. Robert McPherson made a dreamily romantic tenor in the role of Count Almaviva. Of course, the more heartfelt he was, the more comical the results. The scene where he accompanies Rosina on the harpsichord for her music lesson had the audience in stitches with laughter. Mezzo-soprano Renee Tatum, who spent the 2013-14 season with the Metropolitan Opera, made her role debut as this production’s lovely Rosina. She was an appropriately fiery romantic heroine and her comic expressions had the emotional range of a Meryl Streep. She gave the impression that she was controlling the emotions of all the men in the opera." [Source]

ISRAELI OPERA FESTIVAL

It’s year five of the Israeli Opera Festival at Masada, and while not all of the expected tens of thousands of audience members expected over the course of four performances will actually make it up to the top of the mountain for a visit prior to the overture, they’ll still experience the proximity of history. 'People want to feel the aura of the mountain,' said Eitan Campbell, general manager of Masada National Park. Still, this is a massive undertaking. The production team began working in early spring, taking two full months to clear a 50,000-square-meter (538,195 square feet) stretch of desert, then building stairs, hauling machinery, creating safety supports, and setting up tents, lighting and toilets. Once the stage was ready, they trucked in the set designed in Tel Aviv, which this year includes a massive video-screen backdrop and partial reproductions of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, as well as LED-lit chandelier skirts and 12 red couches that flip over and double as planters. After all, this is La Traviata, Giuseppe Verdi’s hugely popular opera about a French courtesan and her lover, and the complications and misunderstandings in their relationship." [Source] Click here for full cast listing.

DUBAI OPERA HOUSE

"The main contractor of the Dubai Opera House, Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), has said it has begun work on the Dubai Opera House project. CCC is the main contractor on the project, having previously worked with the developer as part of a consortium on Dubai Mall. The 2,000-capacity venue will be situated in the shadow of the Burk Khalifa, in Dubai’s Downtown district. It will be used for opera, theatre, concerts, art exhibitions, orchestra, film, sports events and seasonal programmes and is being developed by Emaar, which has said it will be the centerpiece of a new district to promote the arts, culture and events scene in Dubai. 'It’s a really challenging but exciting project, as it is in a really prime location, and we’re moving in the right direction. The work has already begun and the concrete works will happen soon,' said Nazih Abdul Kader, executive VP of operations at CCC. 'I think the proper form of the opera house will begin to become apparent in 12 months, and it will be finished in around 24 months.' Kader also predicted that a number of infrastructure projects will soon begin in Dubai, much of which will be linked to the 2020 World Expo. 'I think Dubai is approaching another boom. The 2020 event will bring a renewed infrastructure market as it builds out towards Jebel Ali, for example – Dubai is going to become a bigger place.'" [Source]

Watch Diana Damrau As Violetta In "La Traviata" From La Scala

Soprano Diana Damrau (Violetta) with director Dmitri Tcherniakov discussing the opera

Maria Callas Exclusive New 1956 "La Traviata" Vinyl Recording

Amazon has released a new recording of Verdi's La Traviata, from 1956 performances at La Scala in Milan, with a cast that includes Gianni Raimondi under conductor Carlo Maria Giulini in a production by Luchino Visconti. Click here to order the set. Watch a video previewing the set by clicking here. "This Deluxe Limited Edition Box Set of Verdi's highly esteemed La Traviata, performed by Maria Callas in 1956 has been digitally remastered and recorded on three 180 gram vinyl LPs, each individually hosted in a custom printed sleeve."

Also included is a high quality book, featuring:

- Historic detail of the original program
- An introduction to the opera
- A history of the staging
- Photographs from the La Scala archives, unearthing exclusive and rare images
- The opera libretto

All of these elements are presented in an elegant presentation box of red linen and gold impressions.

Couple Reveals How They Make It Work in the Opera Industry

Opera lovebirds in real-life and onstage: Ailyn Pérez and Stephen Costello.

"Life can be complicated when you have two soaring opera careers under the same roof. Soprano Ailyn Pérez and tenor Stephen Costello estimate that in their first two years of marriage, they were together for five months. 'We wonder how opera singers and performers used to be able to function without cell phones and Internet,' Costello said last week at Music Hall. This month, the stars don’t need to gaze into each other’s eyes via Skype. They are performing the leading roles of operatic lovers Violetta and Alfredo in Cincinnati Opera’s La Traviata, Thursday and Saturday in Music Hall, to close the opera season." Read more of the article here. Learn about the Cincinnati Opera production of La Traviata and purchase tickets here.

PHOTOS: Hei-Kyung Hong as Violetta at the Metropolitan Opera

Click here to see more photos from the Willy Decker production of Verdi's La Traviata featuring Hei-Kyung Hong at the Metropolitan Opera.

Alfie Boe Talks Being Naked For "La Traviata" in Wales

Do you keep fit at all?

I do, yeah. Doing Les Misérables is quite a workout in itself but when I’m not doing the show I usually spend time in the gym and go swimming. At one point, I did a lot of weights and was taking all the protein shakes and the supplements and I put on a lot of weight. I became really sort of muscle-bound. I was working out for a show because I had to take my clothes off in La Traviata. 

What? All your clothes?

Yeah, for the dress rehearsal the director wanted me to be stark naked on stage. It was OK. I built myself up to it and did it for the dress rehearsal and the audience went crazy, it was really weird. I got so many whoops, whistles, gasps and intakes of air that they actually cut the scene. So in the end, I just took my shirt off and kept my trousers on. It was an amazing experience though. Whenever I did do it the wings were full. And I didn’t mind. 

So this was full frontal?

Full-frontal, yeah. It was a bit scary. And a bit stupid, I don’t know (laughs). But I’m pretty happy with my manhood so…
[Source]

Bass James Olds To Perform in "La Traviata" Sydney Spectacle

Aussie Bass: James Olds

"A giant stage will be built on Sydney Harbour to bring opera to the masses when Opera Australia presents La Traviata for an exclusive three-week season next year. And James Olds of Cronulla who has made a career as a bass singer will perform in the chorus when the spectacular is staged in March. 'This production is a world premiere, a massive spectacle,' Olds said of the production, which will involve installing huge pillars in the harbour. 'This is going to be a total fanfare with fireworks every night and a shorter opera that is trimmed for all ages and for all audiences.' Olds began classical training in year 10 at Newington College and joined the Conservatorium of Music in 2004. Since joining Opera Australia in 2009, he has performed in many famous productions, including Der Rosenkavalier, MacBeth, The Merry Widow and Pirates of Penzance. Since becoming a full-time performer with the company, he has travelled with their productions and has picked up some small solo and understudy roles." [Source] Read more about James Olds after the jump.

Verdi's "La Traviata" Stirs Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" Film

The classic 1990 film Pretty Woman has grossed over $463 million worldwide since its release. One of the most famous scenes occurs when Edward (Richard Gere) takes Vivian (Julia Roberts) to the opera (San Francisco Opera to be specific). The opera they see, La Traviata, is not such a coincidence since it is the story of a courtesan falling in love with one of her suiters, a theme reflected with the film's

characters (although no one dies of consumption). Scenes from Act I, II and III are featured. Actress Karin Calabro plays Violetta and Actor Bruce Eckstut plays Alfredo in the opera scenes. Here are some audio samples featuring Maria Callas:

"Sempre libera"

"Dammi tu forza, o cielo... Amami Alfredo"

"Teneste la promessa...Addio, del passato"

Other trivia:
-The entrance to the San Francisco opera house was actually filmed at the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles.
-The crew had planned to shoot the opera scene in San Francisco, but was prevented from doing so because of the earthquake on October 17, 1989. This whole scene was cleverly faked on a small set at Disney, designed by Albert Brenner.

Some particularly memorable dialogue surrounding this scene in the movie includes the following:
Edward: Peoples reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic. They either love it or they hate it. If they love it they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it - but it will never become part of their soul.

Matron: Did you enjoy the opera, dear?
Vivian: Oh, it was so good, I almost peed my pants!
[Vivian walks off.]
Matron: Wha—?
Edward: She said she liked it better than The Pirates of Penzance.

[Source, Source, Source]

Cute Video: Pug Perplexed by Netrebko "Addio del passato"

Watch the full version of "Addio del passato" from Verdi's La Traviata, with Anna Netrebko at the Salzburg Festival in 2005, after the jump.

Opera Sneaks Into Luchino Visconti's "Il Gattopardo"

Listen to Verdi's Waltz in F Major
scored by Nina Rota.

This evening, Turner Classic Movies aired the full-length refurbished version of Luchino Visconti's opulent 1963 film Il Gattopardo featuring Burt Lancaster (Don Fabrizio Corbera - Prince of Salina), Claudia Cardinale (Angelica Sedàra) and Alain Delon (Tancredi Falconeri). The film is based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel of the same name about the decline of the Sicilian aristocracy at the time of the "Risorgimento"when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Il Gattopardo translates directly from Italian as "The Serval," but the film was released in France as Le Guépard ("The Cheetah") and as The Leopard in the UK and USA. The work was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. Leave it to Visconti who famously directed 19 opera productions (five with Maria Callas alone), to include some music of Verdi into his film. The film's score was composed by Nina Rota who managed to unearth Verdi's Valzer in fa maggiore, originally written "per cembalo" when the composer was in his youth, and orchestrate it for key sequences in the hour-long

ball scene. "The Valzer was discovered by Rota in the possession of a Roman antiquarian, and was orchestrated for strings, flutes, and piano for the film soundtrack. "The Valser begins on a shot of farmers working on a hillside and follows the cross-fade into a large ballroom. The guests are greeted at a reception line, people gossip, ladies fan themselves (the Sicilian night is very hot), Colonel Pallipacini and his officers are introduced to the notables. The music flows from the balconies into a garden where the Colonel, surrounded by admiring women hanging on his every word, speaks of Garibaldi as looking like an archangel: 'I wept like a little baby.'

Verdi's waltz cadences at the end of the Colonel's exaggerated speech, and another waltz with lovely romantic harmonies in the style of the period by Nino Rota, begin as the scene shifts back into the ballroom. This piece is followed by a wonderful folk-style mazurka in a minor key. Angelica asks the Prince to dance with her and back in the ballroom the Verdi waltz is struck up once again."

Two excerpts from Verdi's La Traviata appear in the film as well. Click on the highlighted link in the description below each photo to launch a video clip of each particular scene:

When Don Fabrizio and his family return to Donnafugata they are greeted by a brass band playing the women's chorus "Noi siamo zingarelle."

The family immediately enters a church in a processional while a young organist plays the "Preludio" from Act 1 (the theme appears again later in the opera as "Amami, Alfredo" sung by Violetta).

Visconti even manages to get a little bel canto Bellini in when a soldier sings "Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni," Rodolfo's aria from the first act of La Sonnambula.

[Source, Source, Source, Source]

Enjoy a detailed description of the film (possible spoilers), as well as commentary and photos after the jump.

At 76, Jonathan Miller Reveals His Formula For Directing

Jonathan Miller preparing for opening night of Verdi's La Traviata (Photo: Les Bazso/PNG)

The opera legend is directing the Vancouver Opera production of La Traviata, which opens on Saturday, and takes the opportunity to be interviewed by The Vancouver Sun about various aspects of his profession. "'I have a simple formula as a director. It’s nothing more really than reminding singers of what they know already and have forgotten, a re-directing of their attention to Chekhovian detail — the little, negligible actions which are made considerable. This is something I learned as a student working with neurologically damaged patients. After a little while it becomes exactly what I have observed in my children and grandchildren. You don’t direct a child what to do — you put them, for example, into an environment in which English is spoken, and there they are a little later generating perfect English. So the funny thing is that once I start directing the drama, I don’t have to tell them what to do, any more than I have to tell a child to raise its voice at the end of an interrogative sentence. It’s all speech-acts — when we speak, we are in fact performing actions the purpose of which is to persuade, or to apologize. It doesn’t matter whether it is spoken or sung, it is all speech-acts. The intonation of the music takes care of itself, because you already know instinctively what intonation you need to be aggressive, to be apologetic, to be persuasive, and so on.'" He enjoys working the young cast in Vancouver, because as he puts it, 'Some older singers get ossified. They say ‘No, I must stand here, Alfredo would not do that,’ and I always want to reply, ‘When exactly were you last in touch with Alfredo on this subject?’ But if they are young, they will do anything — even act.'" A detailed cast list for the production of La Traviata and video interviews with the director are after the jump. [Source, Source]

Minnesota Opera Presents Elizabeth Futral as Verdi's Violetta

Act 2, Scene 2 (Photo: Michal Daniel)

"With soprano Elizabeth Futral as Violetta, tenor Bruno Ribeiro as Alfredo, and baritone Stephen Powell as Alfredo’s disapproving father, Giorgio Germont, La traviata offers a trio of astonishing performances. (Note: the roles of Violetta and Alfredo will be played on alternating nights by, respectfully, Georgia Jarman and Daniel Montenegro.) Futral is resplendent in the lead, voicing Violetta’s inner conflict with heartrending arias that soar to resoundingly poignant heights. Distinguished by a dazzling vibrato, spectacularly displayed in Act I’s show-stopping climax, Futral is an absolute revelation. Likewise, Ribeiro (so memorable in last season’s Roberto Devereux) allows vulnerability to color his expressive tenor. And rounding out the three, Powell’s sumptuous baritone establishes resolve, but without sacrificing the underlying sympathy of his character." [Source]

Courtesan With Bad In-law Relations Coughed Up Lung in 1853

La Traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The opera was originally entitled Violetta, after the main character. The first performance of the opera was on March 6, 1853, at the La Fenice opera house in Venice. [Source]

Portrait of a Roman Lady by Lord Frederic Leighton

"Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (Cheryl Studer & Luciano Pavarotti)


"È strano!...Ah, fors'è lui...Sempre Libera" (Maria Callas)


"Di Provenza il mar" (Dmitri Hvorostovsky)


"Lunge da lei...O mio rimorso!" (Ismael Jordi)


"Teneste la promessa...Addio del passato" (Rosanna Carteri)


"Parigi o cara" (Plácido Domingo & Ileana Cotrubas)