La Traviata

Production : Greek National Opera – State Orchestra of Thessaloniki – Thessaloniki Concert Hall Organization

Dates: October 27, 30, and November 1, 2024

Conductor: Philippe Forget

Opera in three acts Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

With Greek surtitles

A spectacular co-production of the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki with the Greek National Opera and the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, within the framework of the 59th Dimitria Festival. The beloved “La Traviata” (Opera in three acts), as the title of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera is translated, was based on the work of Alexandre Dumas, son, “La Dame aux Camélias,” where the author recounts the true story of the great love of his life, Marie Duplessis, who, with her incomparable beauty, escaped poverty to become the most sought-after courtesan in Paris. Her characteristic was always appearing in public with a bouquet of camellias. This dead-end love affair between a scion of a good provincial family and a Parisian courtesan is the tragic web around which the shocking story of one of the most popular operas ever written is woven. Verdi’s well-known arias and duets perfectly adorn the appalling story of a great love, thwarted by social conditions.

“La Traviata” describes the love of Violetta Valéry, a courtesan, and Alfredo Germont, a scion of a good Parisian family. The relationship provokes the reaction of the young man’s family, the couple separates and reunites shortly before the girl’s death. Well-known arias and duets adorn one of the most beloved stories of great love, thwarted by social conventions.

The premiere of “La Traviata” in 1853 at the Teatro Fenice in Venice is usually referred to as one of the greatest failures in the history of opera. Today, Verdi’s masterpiece is one of the most popular works in the repertoire with hundreds of performances every year in opera houses around the world and with thousands of spectators watching them ecstatically.