La Fenice Theater, in Venice, was the stage that hosted the premiere of the opera in three acts La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi, on March 6, 1853. The premiere was an absolute failure, mainly because the singer who embodied Violeta, the consumptive protagonist, was quite overweight, which provoked ridicule from the audience. In the last act, there was even laughter, because after the doctor announced that Violeta had only a few hours to live, she, audacious, continued singing, just like that.
Before the premiere, and knowing that the diva was also 38 years old, Giuseppe –for those years a celebrity in Italy– had commissioned his librettist, Francesco Piave, to notify the manager of the Theater that the role of Violeta demanded imperiously "a singer with an elegant figure who must sing passionately." The mission, unfortunately, was unsuccessful. Fortunately, the following year, with another diva in the leading role, the opera received the accolades it deserved, from the public and critics.
Addio del passato
The aria Addio del passato is sang, precisely, in the third act. Violeta is alone in her room, next to her sickbed and reads a letter that the father of her beloved Alfredo has sent her, announcing Alfredo's visit. But, as Violeta exclaims ... "e 'tardi". The aria ends with a prayer that asks God for mercy, a dramatic moment when Violeta refers to herself as "la traviata", the wayward one, an expression that ended up giving the opera its title.
The rendition is by Los Angeles Opera, 2006, with Renée Fleming in the role of Violeta. The aria begins at minute 1:40. Before, Violeta reads the letter while the orchestra quotes Violeta and Alfredo's duet from the first act, Croce e Delizia. We have chosen the rendition of the beautiful Renée because she is the only one of the current sopranos who undertake the last note of the aria with a tinny voice, which is, in the opinion of this humble narrator, the right approach.
