| Giuseppe Verdi operas |
|
• Rigoletto (1851) • Il trovatore (1853) • La traviata (1853) • Les vêpres siciliennes (1855) • Un ballo in maschera (1859) • La forza del destino (1862) • Aida (1871) • Otello (1887) • Falstaff (1893) |
“La traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi ♡
Травиата
Read Verdi’s beloved opera with the Italian libretto and English translation presented side by side.
See on Amazon – $12.99 → 📄 Preview sample (PDF)Premiere / date of written: 6 March 1853
La traviata premiered on 6 March 1853 at the famous Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Although the first performance was not a success, the opera was revised and quickly became one of the most beloved works in the operatic repertoire.
Based on Alexandre Dumas fils's novel and play La Dame aux Camélias, La traviata tells the tragic story of Violetta Valéry, a Parisian courtesan who sacrifices her own happiness for the man she loves. Verdi's music combines intimate lyricism, emotional realism, and dramatic intensity, creating some of the most famous arias in opera, including "Sempre libera," "Addio del passato," and Alfredo's "De' miei bollenti spiriti."
Today, La traviata remains one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. Its themes of love, sacrifice, social prejudice, and redemption continue to resonate with audiences, while Verdi's masterful score ensures its enduring popularity on the world's leading opera stages.
Libretti
Italian–English side-by-side translation
| # | Language | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Italian
  |
Francesco Maria Piave |
| 2 | German | |
| 3 |
English
|
|
| 4 | French |
original libretto
side-by-side of the original libretto
History
- 1853 March 6 — First performance of Giuseppe Verdi's "La traviata" at Teatro La Fenice (Venice).
- 1856 December 6 — First performance of Verdi’s opera "La traviata" in France, given in Italian by the Théâtre-Italien at the Salle Ventadour in Paris.
- 1959 November 14 — Anna Moffo makes her Metropolitan Opera debut as Violetta in "La traviata".
Images
Printed Editions
| Year | Edition | Publisher | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | La traviata: Opera Libretto with Italian–English Translation | DM’s Opera Series |
|
Audio recordings
| Year | Cast | Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra |
Label, Comment |
Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Violetta — Maria Callas, Alfredo — Giuseppe Di Stefano, Germont — Ettore Bastianini |
Carlo Maria Giulini La Scala orchestra and chorus, Milan |
EMI Classics Cat: 66450 |
$26.34 |
| 1960
|
Violetta — Anna Moffo, Alfredo — Richard Tucker, Germont — Robert Merrill |
Fernando Previtali Rome Opera orchestra and chorus |
RCA Victor Cat: 68885 |
$15.98 |
| 1976 | Violetta — Ileana CotrubaÅŸ, Alfredo — Plácido Domingo, Germont — Sherrill Milnes |
Carlos Kleiber Bavarian State Opera orchestra and chorus |
Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 415132 |
$9.69 |
| 1979 | Violetta — Joan Sutherland, Alfredo — Luciano Pavarotti, Germont — Matteo Manuguerra |
Richard Bonynge National Philharmonic Orchestra and London Opera Chorus |
Decca Cat: 430491 |
$17.18 |
| 2005 | Violetta — Anna Netrebko, Alfredo — Rolando Villazón, Germont — Thomas Hampson |
Carlo Rizzi Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera Chorus |
Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 52902 |
$29.99 |
Video recordings
| Year | Cast | Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra, Director |
Label, Comment |
Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Violetta — Anna Moffo, Alfredo — Franco Bonisolli, Germont — Gino Bechi |
Giuseppe Patanè Rome Opera orchestra and chorus Mario Lanfranchi |
Video Artists International |
|
| 1983
|
Violetta — Teresa Stratas, Alfredo — Plácido Domingo, Germont — Cornell MacNeil |
James Levine Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus Franco Zeffirelli |
Universal Studios Cat: 0 2519-20326-2 2 |
$29.27 |
| 1994 | Violetta — Angela Gheorghiu, Alfredo — Frank Lopardo, Germont — Leo Nucci |
Sir Georg Solti Royal Opera House orchestra and chorus Richard Eyre |
Decca Cat: 071 431-9 |
$23.37 |
External links