The projection of the story of Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) and Susan Blane (Laura Benanti), in The Gilded Age, is becoming more and more similar to the opera La Traviata, one of the most classic operas of all time created by Giuseppe Verdi 170 years ago. years. Considering that we are weeks away from the centenary of one of the greatest interpreters of the work – Maria Callas – it is worth remembering more details of one of the most beautiful and moving pieces in opera.

The misguided – a more accurate translation from Italian, was written in 1853 using as a basis the 1848 novel, The Lady of the Camellias, by Alexander Dumas Filho. Of course, we will talk separately because it is inspired by a true story, but it was a fiction that enchanted the world and generations with the drama of the courtesan Violetta Valéry and her passion for the young Alfredo Germond, a hopeless romance that is opposed by her family, in particular, his father, Giorgio Germont.

Divided into three acts and with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, the opera was named Violetta, before debuting at the opera La Fenice, in Venice as La Traviata. The original idea was to modernize the book (the action takes place around 1700), but the theater management insisted on maintaining the original period. La Traviata was such a success that today, 170 years ago, it is still one of the most performed in the world and was the composer’s choice after a theatrical production of the story, a year earlier, in Paris. Impacted by what he saw, already knowing the book, he immediately started working on the music.

There were many problems with the work from the beginning: Violetta – at 38 years old – was an “older” woman and edarism was already a reality, so much so that even Verdi considered making her younger. The worst problem was something else. In general (until Maria Callas) sopranos were not corpulent, overweight women, and as Violetta died of tuberculosis, one would imagine that she was thin. The public always has problems dealing with this fact, from the first to play the role, Fanny Salvini-Donatelli, which generated some initial laughter in the audience, who applauded at the end. “La Traviata last night was a failure. Was it my fault or the singers? Time will tell,” Verdi wrote at the time.

And Time did say: it’s perfect.

Currently showing at Rio’s Municipal Theater is a story of love, death, despair, and dignity. We find Violetta hiding from everyone that her health is going from bad to worse, as are her finances, but she ends up giving in to the passion of young Alfredo, who declares himself to her. Having only lived in relationships where she was paid, she decided to try one for pleasure and love. The problem is that, despite being away from everyone, their romance is a scandal and that’s why his father, Giorgio, asks him to end it. At this point, it is Violetta who supports Alfredo, in love and happy. When she discovers this, Alfredo goes in search of a financial source and when the courtesan is alone, she is visited by Giorgio. First, he demands that he end everything with Alfredo, to save the boy’s reputation and not harm his sister’s marriage, who is about to get married. Even though he realizes that Violetta is not a scammer and that she really loves his son, Giorgio needs her to stay away. She concedes and breaks up with Alfredo, who, without knowing what was agreed, considers that he was exchanged for another due to Violetta’s pure frivolity, humiliating her in public when he meets her again. Months later, Violetta, on the verge of death, cries for her lover who discovers her sacrifice and comes to ask for forgiveness. The two reconcile, but she dies in his arms.

Placing a courtesan as the protagonist was a scandal at that time, even if it came from a literary success. Some historians allude to Verdi’s personal involvement with the theme. He lived for 10 years with singer Giuseppina Strepponi, before getting married, and la traviata was how many referred to her. “I have nothing to hide. In my house lives a free and independent woman, who, like me, loves the solitary life and has a fortune that protects her from her needs. Neither she nor I owe anyone any account for our actions,” he said at the time. As a response to society’s hypocrisy, Verdi used The Lady of the Camellias to criticize social convention, but giving in to history in the 1700s helped to “move away” from what was current at the time.

The music of La Traviata is simple, melodic, and easy to memorize, but the role of Violetta requires an interpreter with a complex technical range, limiting the number of good performers. Among the most famous are Christina Nilsson – who has appeared in The Gilded Age – and, of course, Maria Callas. 30 years ago, Franco Zefirelli made a film with Placido Domingo and Teresa Stratas, with a quick appearance by Ekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev. In this parallel of operas, Bertha Russell’s (Carrie Coon) intervention in the romance between Susan and Larry places her as the “Giorgio” of the series, and she has not yet tried for a second to be empathetic with the widow. On the contrary, all the time she is the first to remind Susan of the age difference between her and the architect. Should we be worried?

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