La Traviata – Verdi’s Masterpiece
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. The title “La traviata” means literally The Woman Who Strayed, or perhaps more figuratively, The Fallen One.
Piave and Verdi wanted to follow Dumas in giving the opera a contemporary setting, but the authorities at La Fenice insisted that it be set in the past, “c. 1700″. It was not until the 1880s that the composer’s and librettist’s original wishes were carried out and “realistic” productions were staged. [1]
After some revisions between 1853 and May 1854, mostly affecting Acts 2 and 3, the opera was presented again in Venice, this time at the teatro di San Benedetto.
Source: Wikipedia
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