La traviata digital resource book

THE ROYAL OPERA
LA TRAVIATA
Generously supported by The Taylor Family Foundation and
The Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation
2021/22
RESOURCE WORKBOOK

YOUR VISIT
We are really excited to welcome you and
your students to the Royal Opera House for
the Schools’ Matinee of La traviata on
Friday 1 April 2022.
Welcome to the Royal Opera House film
This film introduces you and your students to the Royal
Opera House, guiding them through the spaces they will visit,
introducing them to some of the people they will encounter and
some of the exciting things they might see.
Cover, Angel Blue as Violetta Valéry ©2019 ROH. Photograph by Catherine Ashmore. Left,
Production Photo © 2016 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton

THE CHARACTERS
VIOLETTA VALÉRY
A beautiful courtesan, Violetta is the life and soul
of the party and has many admirers. She hides a
terrible secret: she is gravely ill and doesn’t know
how much longer she will be able to enjoy her
glittering life in Paris.
ALFREDO GERMONT
Alfredo is young and ready to experience love for
the first time. He has fallen for Violetta and visits her
every day while she is ill. He wants to build a new life
with Violetta in the countryside.
GIORGIO GERMONT
Alfredo’s father loves his son and is concerned about
his relationship with Violetta. He wants to protect the
reputation of his family and tries to convince Violetta
to leave Alfredo.
Angel Blue as Violetta Valéry, Liparit Avetisyan as Alfredo Germont, Igor Golovatenko as Giorgio Germont ©2019 ROH. Photographs by Catherine Ashmore

THE CHARACTERS
ANNINA
Violetta’s faithful maid, she moves with her and
Alfredo to the countryside and takes care of the
household. She also looks after Violetta when she is
sick.
BARON DOUPHOL
The Baron is a powerful man who supports Violetta
in exchange for her company. When Violetta is
convinced by Giorgio Germont to leave Alfredo, she
turns to the Baron. This angers Alfredo, and he and
the Baron fight a duel.
FLORA BERVOIX
Flora is Violetta’s friend and is also a hostess in
Paris. She hosts the gambling party where Alfredo
discovers that Violetta has left him for the Baron.
Renata Skarelytë as Annina ©2021 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton
Germán E. Alcántara as Baron Douphol ©2019 ROH. Photograph by Catherine Ashmore
Stephanie Wake-Edwards as Flora Bervoix ©2019 ROH. Photograph by Catherine Ashmore

THE STORY
ACT I
A salon in Violetta’s house; August
Violetta greets her party guests. Gastone, a viscount,
introduces his friend Alfredo Germont to Violetta and tells
her that Alfredo thinks of her constantly and called on her
anxiously each day during her recent illness. Baron Douphol,
Violetta’s current lover, waits nearby to escort her to the
salon. Gastone, seconded by Violetta, calls for a toast. Alfredo
responds with a song in praise of wine and pleasure, and
everyone joins in.
Violetta invites her guests to dance but suddenly feels
unsteady and tells the others to go on without her. Alfredo
stays behind; he warns her that her present way of life will kill
her. He offers to look after her, admitting that he has loved
her since he first saw her over a year ago. Violetta replies
lightheartedly that she does not know how to love: he should
forget her. She gives him a camellia, telling him to return it
to her when it has faded; hoping that will be the next day,
he leaves, saying that he loves her. As dawn approaches, the
other guests depart.
Alone, Violetta reflects on Alfredo’s unexpected declaration of
love and on her feelings for him, then abandons such serious
thoughts, recalling that she is destined for a life of pleasure.
Hrachuhi Bassenz as Violetta Valéry ©2019 ROH. Photograph by Catherine Ashmore

ACT II, SCENE 1
A country house near Paris; the following January
Alfredo and Violetta have spent three idyllic months in the
country, but Alfredo doesn’t know that Violetta has been selling
her belongings to pay for their life together. When he realises this,
Alfredo resolves to leave for Paris and raise the money himself.
While he is gone, Giorgio Germont (Alfredo’s father) arrives
unannounced and accuses Violetta of ruining his son. He is
shocked to discover that it is in fact she who is supporting the
couple. He then tells her of the plight of his beloved daughter,
whose forthcoming marriage is jeopardized by Alfredo’s
scandalous liaison with Violetta and begs Violetta to leave Alfredo
so that he can return to his family. Violetta confesses to Germont
her overwhelming love, revealing the seriousness of her illness
and her emotional dependence on Alfredo. Germont is unmoved
and says she is bound to find other men to love. Grief-stricken,
Violetta finally agrees to make the sacrifice, asking Germont to
embrace her as his daughter and to comfort Alfredo when she
has gone. After she dies, she wants Germont to tell Alfredo the
real reason for her leaving him. Germont goes.
When Alfredo returns from Paris, he is disturbed at Violetta’s
agitated state and concerned that his father should have visited.
Violetta, now in despair at her promise, wants reassurance of
Alfredo’s love for her before she runs away. Germont appears
again and tries to comfort his son, reminding him nostalgically
of his family home in the south of France. But Alfredo is
inconsolable. Seeing an invitation to a party at Flora’s that
evening, he assumes Violetta will be there, and swears to avenge
himself.
Saimir Pirgu as Alfredo Germont Opera © 2016 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton

ACT II, SCENE 2
A salon in Flora’s house
Flora’s guests chat and gamble at her party. She and her new
lover discuss the separation of Alfredo and Violetta. A group
of guests sing and dance, followed by Gastone and friends
disguised as matadors.
Alfredo arrives and joins a game of cards, playing recklessly
and commenting that his luck at the table is better than his
fortune in love. He feigns disinterest at seeing Violetta with
Baron Douphol but provokes the Baron into challenging him at
cards. While Violetta privately expresses her anguish, the two
men gamble. The Baron loses, swearing revenge, and everyone
goes off to supper. Violetta returns, having sent Alfredo a
message asking him to join her. When he appears, she begs him
to escape from the Baron’s wrath and he agrees to leave if she
swears to follow him. Remembering her oath to Germont, she
lies and tells Alfredo that she cannot go with him because she
now loves the Baron. In fury, Alfredo summons the guests and,
flinging his winnings at Violetta, asks everyone to witness that
he has paid her back for their time together. The guests rebuke
Alfredo, and Germont, who has arrived unobserved, renounces
his son. Everyone expresses their reactions to the situation:
Germont is reproachful; Alfredo is distressed and remorseful;
Violetta, despairingly and privately, begs Alfredo to understand
her distress, vowing her undying love for him; the Baron swears
to avenge the insult to Violetta.
Production photo ©2021 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton

ACT III
Violetta’s bedroom; February
Violetta is desperately ill and is being nursed by Annina. Doctor
Grenvil visits and offers her encouragement but quietly tells
Annina that Violetta has only a few hours to live. Violetta urges
Annina to join the Carnival festivities outside and to take half of
Violetta’s money to give to the poor.
Alone, Violetta reads a letter from Germont explaining that
Alfredo, who fled the country after wounding the Baron in a
duel, now knows of her sacrifice and is coming to beg her to
pardon him. Violetta knows that all hope for her has faded and
says farewell to past dreams, praying for God’s forgiveness.
The Carnival can be heard outside. Annina hurries in to tell
Violetta of Alfredo’s approach. He falls into her arms, imploring
her to forgive him and his father.
They plan a new life, away from Paris, but Violetta is now too
weak to get up. In despair that she will die so young, Violetta
briefly rallies. Giorgio Germont appears and embraces her.
Violetta gives Alfredo a locket containing her portrait, telling
him that if he marries, he must give it to his bride. Violetta feels
a sudden rush of life as her pain eases. But she collapses and
dies.
Ekaterina Bakanova as Violetta Valéry ©2017 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton

CONTENT WARNING
Although La traviata (literally, ‘the fallen woman’) is one of the most
popular works in the operatic repertory, the story deals with some issues
that you may want to explain and discuss with your students ahead of
their visit.
The heroine of the opera, Violetta Valéry, is a courtesan. Courtesans
were women, often led into prostitution from an early age, who rose in
prominence as mistresses of wealthy and influential men through the
power of their beauty, charisma and intelligence.
In a patriarchal, religious society in which options for women were very
limited, courtesans were not considered ‘respectable’. They were excluded
from ‘polite’ society, and instead occupied a demi monde (literally, ‘halfworld’).
However, some courtesans managed to amass large personal
fortunes and set themselves up independently, becoming leaders in taste,
fashion and political and intellectual discourse.
In Act II of the opera, Alfredo’s father Giorgio Germont visits Violetta in
the house she has been sharing with Alfredo, unaware that it is actually
Violetta who has been paying for their lifestyle. He demands that Violetta
leave Alfredo, fearing that his association with a courtesan will tarnish the
reputation of his family and bring shame on Alfredo’s sister, who is about
to make a respectable bourgeois marriage. The story revolves around the
sacrifice Violetta feels she must make for Alfredo. Violetta is also dying of
consumption (tuberculosis) and chooses to make her sacrifice even in the
knowledge that her time with Alfredo is limited.
Of the many reasons for the enduring success of La traviata, not least
is the humanity with which composer Giuseppe Verdi and librettist
Francesco Maria Piave portray the lead role. Violetta, far from being a
shameful person, lives her life with compassion, integrity and agency, even
when the odds are stacked against her.
Maria Agresta as Violetta Valéry ©2016 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton

THE COMPOSER
GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813–1901)
Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian composer. Of his
26 operas, many remain among the most loved
and frequently performed in the repertory.
Verdi began his professional career as the local
church organist at the early age of eight. By his
mid-twenties, he was conducting the Busseto
Philharmonic Society, attracting praise for his
promising musical imagination and his skill as a
conductor and composer.
Among his early works, the opera Nabucco
provided Verdi with international fame and
recognition. However, the pressure to keep
producing commercially and critically successful
work left the composer often feeling
demoralised.
Verdi’s first wife Margherita and their two
children all died tragically young. Verdi adored
them and was devastated by their deaths. He
found love again, however, with the noted
soprano Giuseppina Strepponi. They lived
together unmarried for over 15 years, causing
much scandal, although they eventually married
in 1859.
Financial success allowed Verdi, in his later years,
to undertake a number of philanthropic ventures.
He published a song in 1894 for the benefit of
earthquake victims in Sicily, and from 1895
onwards he endowed a rest-home for retired
musicians in Milan and built a hospital close to
Busseto. He died in 1901 at the age of 87.
TIMELINE
1813 Giuseppe Verdi is born near Busseto,
Italy.
1823 Aged 10, Verdi attends school in
Busseto, returning on Sundays to play the
organ.
1839 Verdi’s first opera, Oberto, is performed
at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan.
1851 Verdi moves to Paris with soprano
Giuseppina Strepponi. While in Paris, the
couple attend a performance of the play La
Dame aux camélias, on which the opera La
traviata is based.
1859 Verdi begins to take an active interest
in Italian politics (sympathising with the
Risorgimento movement that sought Italian
unification) and is eventually appointed as a
member of the Italian Senate in 1874.
1901 Verdi dies. He remains one of the most
important and popular composers of opera.

POST PERFORMANCE REFLECTIONS
These questions can be used to prompt
your students after the performance.
Consider the life of women in 19th century
Paris and the choices they were faced
with. What might the life of a courtesan be
like?
What do the design choices tell you about
the story and the characters? Consider the
set and costumes, how are the different
parts of the story portrayed?
Reputation and image play a big part in
this story, are there modern day examples
which you could use to compare and
contrast the actions of the characters?
La traviata is one of the most performed
operas in the world – what do you think
makes it so well loved? What makes
Violetta such a popular part for sopranos?
Luca Salsi as Alfredo Germont and Venera Gimadieva as Violetta
Valéry ©2016 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton

FURTHER VIEWING
3:21 3:07
1:31:42
THE ENDURING APPEAL OF LA TRAVIATA
Director Richard Eyre and designer
Bob Crowley discuss the genesis of The
Royal Opera’s production of La traviata.
LA TRAVIATA: HOW TO PERFORM AN
OPERATIC ICON
Soprano Corinne Winters discusses what
it’s like to sing the iconic role of
Violetta Valéry.
HOW TO SING OPERA – ANGEL BLUE
VOCAL MASTERCLASS (THE ROYAL
OPERA)
Soprano Angel Blue (who sings the role of
Violetta in La traviata) gives a master class
to young singers from The Royal Opera’s
Jette Parker Young Artist Programme.
The Royal Opera House YouTube channel has many more performance clips and behind the scenes videos that you can explore. Find more videos here:
www.youtube.com/c/RoyalOperaHouse
Angel Blue as Violetta Valéry and Benjamin Bernheim as Alfredo Germont ©2019 ROH. Photograph by Catherine Ashmore, Corinne Winters as Violetta Valéry ©2017 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton, Angel Blue as
Violetta Valéry ©2019 ROH. Photograph by Catherine Ashmore

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