Giuseppe Verdi: La traviata

For this opera you need three Violettas! In the first act, the leading actress has to seduce with brilliant coloraturas, in the second she must make a supreme effort, a sacrifice out of love, and in the third she has to convince us as someone who is mortally ill – naturally with the most splendid voice. We have the privilege to have Lisette Oropesa, America's star soprano, the main reason to revive Verdi's masterpiece at the Festspielhaus. La Traviata marks the beginning of bourgeois realism on the opera stage: we see people and not saints – who falter and stumble, with whom we can sympathize, empathize, and even sing along. The abundance of melodies in Verdi's operas is truly inexhaustible, and tears upon Violetta’s death are guaranteed. Be sure to bring tissues! And friends, so you can toast with Violetta's drinking song after the concert.