In spite of the fact that La traviata ranks today among the most popular operas and is considered a synonym for the fireworks of wonderful and catchy melodies, the conservative audiences of the Venetian Teatro La Fenice had booed its premiere back in 1853. It became a success only a year later, when performed in the smaller San Benedetto Theatre.

La traviata is one of those masterpieces, which were created in a swing, as the composer, inspired by a constant wave of creative enthusiasm, managed to write it within just a month and a half. The libretto, which was created by the poet Francesco Maria Piave, is an excellent adaptation of The Lady of the Camellias by French writer Alexandre Dumas. Verdi presented on stage the fallen Parisian courtesan Violetta, overwhelmed with pure and unselfish love. Violetta presents an archetype of a female, whose frontiers of personal liberty can be moved only by love.

La traviata was first performed in Slovenia by the German Acting Ensemble of the Ljubljana Provincial Theatre, in 1867. This staging (15^th in a row) is signed by the renowned stage director Lutz Hochstraate. He and his creative team staged for the Ljubljana Opera not only the famous love story, but also one of the greatest emotional dramas, which is primarily based on psychological absorption of characters, their intimate pain and critique of social relations. Although the creators have kept the story within its historical frame, they allowed it enough freedom to develop a lively and authentic stage action.

Tatjana Ažman