Metropolitan Opera · 2016–17 season

La Traviata

Giuseppe Verdi

Saturday, March 25, 2017

The story

Real love can't stop a real sick party girl.

The hero's fate

Acute tuberculosis

The cast

ViolettaSoprano Sonya Yoncheva^*
AlfredoTenor Michael Fabiano^*
Giorgio GermontBaritone to be confirmed^† Varied in this run (Thomas Hampson / George Petean / Nelson Martínez) — fill in

* Cast for the run; a cover may have sung this night. † Not yet checked against a source.

Notes

Dress Circle Premium A 102/104 per ticket receipt.

The production

Conductor: Nicola Luisotti
Director: Willy Decker
Length: 3 h 00 min

The opera

Premiere: 1853
Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave
Language: Italian

La traviata (Italian: [la traviˈaːta, -aˈvjaː-]; The Wayward Woman) 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 by Alexandre Dumas fils, which he adapted from his own 1848 novel. The opera was originally titled Violetta, after the main character. It was first performed on 6 March 1853 at La Fenice opera house in Venice.

Piave and Verdi wanted to follow Dumas in giving the opera a contemporary setting, but the authorities at La Fenice insisted that it be set in the past, "c. 1700". It was not until the 1880s that the composer's and librettist's original wishes were carried out and "realistic" productions were staged. La traviata has become immensely popular and is among the most frequently performed of all operas.

Continue on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Also seen

Mar 31, 2026 · Michael Mayer