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Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — La Traviata ā€œBrindisiā€

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Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — La Traviata ā€œBrindisiā€

Opera Daily
Nov 1, 2020
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Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — La Traviata ā€œBrindisiā€

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šŸ‘‹šŸ½ Hello! I know we said only one update for this week, but I couldn’t resist saying šŸ‘‹šŸ¼! I thought we’d compromise by bringing back a piece that felt appropriate for today.

At this moment in La Traviata, Violetta hosts a party to essentially treat her illness with a good time (despite being very ill). Violetta sings ā€œAl piacere m’affido, ed io soglio con tal farmaco I mali sopirā€ (ā€œI give myself to pleasure, since pleasure is the best medicine for my ills.ā€) The chorus responds by singing ā€œLet’s drink from the joyful glass, resplendent with beauty, drink to the spirit of pleasure, which enchants the fleeting momentā€.

I'll raise my glass to that! šŸ„‚


Today we’re listening to ā€œLibiamo ne’lieti caliciā€ (popularly know as ā€œThe Drinking Songā€) the famous duet with chorus from Act I of the Italian opera La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. Sung by Alfredo (Luciano Pavarotti) and Violetta (Joan Sutherland) here when they first meet, it is probably the most famous drinking song in opera (this type of song is also known as a brindisi which is ā€œtoastā€ in Italian).

šŸŽ§ Listen here (3 minute listen):

YouTube / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Spotify

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A story of sickness, love, and death, La Traviata follows Violetta, a young courtesan who is sick with tuberculosis, as she falls in love with Alfredo. While she struggles with the fact that she is dying, she falls for him and they leave the city to live together in the French countryside. Alfredo’s father who does not approve of their relationship, comes and guilts Violetta (vee-oh-LET-tah) into leaving Alfredo and returning to her old life. Thinking she has betrayed him, Alfredo is heartbroken. A few months later, Violetta is close to death and Alfredo, who has learned why Violetta left him, goes to her. They vow to be together forever, but she soon collapses and dies in his arms.

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  • La Traviata (lah-trah-VEE-ah-tuh) was the most performed opera worldwide during the 2015/16 season with a total of 4,190 performances across 869 separate productions.

  • While the events take place in and around Paris during the 1840s, La Traviata’s plot has been repurposed in movies like Pretty Woman and Moulin Rouge. Music from this opera can also be heard in The Godfather and In the Line of Fire.

  • Joan Sutherland was an Australian (dramatic coloratura) soprano known for her contribution to the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. Bel canto literally translates to ā€œbeautiful singing,ā€ and it was a popular singing style in Italian opera from the mid-18th to early 19th centuries. If you want to hear more from Joan, I recommend this. We’ve also profiled her many times on OD. Keeping with the theme for this week of Great Opera Ensembles, here’s Joan singing the role of Gilda in the quartet (ā€œBella figlia dell'amoreā€) from Act III of the Italian opera Rigoletto (also by Verdi).

  • If you want more Traviata, listen to Sutherland and Pavarotti sing ā€œParigi o caraā€ from Act III.

    We’ll leave Paris, my dearest,
    Together we’ll go through life.
    In reward for your past sorrows,
    You’ll bloom into health again.
    Breath of life, sunshine you’ll be to me,
    All the years to come will smile on us.

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Question? Just reply to this email and ask!

Thank you for listening, and see you in a couple of days,

Michele

ā¤ļø If you enjoyed this selection, hit the heart to like it. It helps others find Opera Daily.

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Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — La Traviata ā€œBrindisiā€

www.youroperadaily.com
1 Comment
Silvia Borges
Mar 13Liked by Opera Daily

Opera singers are so amazing and great!! Even on a computer site, opera comes Alive!!

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