VERDI – LA TRAVIATA
Lorin Maazel – Liliana Cavani – Teatro alla Scala

On the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi, the multimedia project Vox Imago undertakes for the first time to produce the Italian composer’s most popular work, La traviata.

Elvio Annese and Roberto San Pietro present Giuseppe Verdi during the Traviata years through readings of excerpts from the correspondence between the composer and his wife Giuseppina Strepponi, and contributions from the project’s artistic supervisor, Philip Gossett. The user will also have the opportunity to discover the places connected with the composer’s life, from his native Busseto to Villa Sant’Agata and the rest home for musicians in Milan. A second video, by Andrea Franceschini, is dedicated to Marie Duplessis, the Parisian courtesan who inspired the Dumas fils novel and play, La dame aux camélias from which Verdi and Piave drew the plot of La traviata.

The essays in the booklet look at the reception Verdi’s masterpiece received in Italy in the mid 1800s and from the point of view of twentieth century stagings, as well as offering an analysis of mid-19th century theatrical production practices and the usual listening guide. There are also historical, literary, artistic and cinematic contributions. The ROM contents offer further in-depth articles, the play by Dumas fils, a biography of Marie Duplessis and an educational guide designed for secondary schools.