La Traviata, Verdi’s tale of love, tragedy and fallen women

La Traviata, Verdi’s tale of love, tragedy and fallen women is heading for Buxton in the new year.

La Traviata is Verdi’s outstanding interpretation of one of the most popular love stories of the 19^thcentury, La Dame aux Camelias by Alexander Dumas.

This operatic version tells the romantic story of the love and life of a courtesan, the passionate consumptive Violetta and her doomed love for the aristocratic Alfredo. There are many echoes of Verdi’s own life in Traviata and he threw himself into the music. The highlights include the Brindisi, the best known drinking song in opera, the duet Un Di Felice and the haunting aria Addio Del Passato.

This retelling is made all the more moving as Dumas made no secret of the fact that his book and play were autobiographically based on his own affair with courtesan Marie Duplessis.

One of the UK’s biggest suppliers of Opera and Ballet and award winning producer, Ellen Kent was captivated by the book which she read whilst rehearsing Traviata in the Ukraine in 2011. She uses a unique style of narrative, presenting a taster from the end to tantalize the audience with the drama that is yet to come.

Adding to the rich story, Kent introduces a powerful scene from the book where Dumas, known in the book as Amand, attends an auction at a Paris apartment not realising it is his ex-mistress who has recently died and her effects are being sold off to pay her debts.

This moving Opera is an unforgettable experience accompanied by world class sopranos and immersive sets.

La Traviata is here Sunday 4 February at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £36.50- £40.Discounts are available. To buy tickets contact Buxton Opera House Box Office, Tel: 01298 72190 or visit: www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk