Verdi's La Traviata: Opera's Original 'Pretty Woman'

Aria Code

WQXR & The Metropolitan Opera

Music Interviews, Music Commentary, Aria, Music, Arts, Metropolitan, Performing Arts, Code, Wqxr, Opera, Wnyc, Studios

4.8 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2018

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What would you give up for true love? Verdi's La Traviata opens a window into a courtesan's heart as she makes the biggest decision of her life. In this episode, host Rhiannon Giddens welcomes soprano Diana Damrau, dramaturg Cori Ellison and former escort Dr. Brooke Magnanti to reflect on the spectacular Act I finale and its deep inner conflicts around love and freedom. Plus, you'll hear the complete aria sung by Diana Damrau from the Met Opera stage.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Remember who you are?
0:06.0	Pavera Donna, a poor woman,
0:08.5	solar, alone, abandonedata,
0:11.5	completely pushed away by everybody.
0:15.1	Hey, I'm Rianne Giddens.
0:19.3	From WQXR in the Metropolitan Opera,
0:22.3	this is Arya Cougd.
0:25.6	In so many of his operas,
0:27.1	Varity was all about difficult choices,
0:30.6	and usually it's between love and honor,
0:33.8	the electives choosing between love and freedom.
0:37.5	In each episode of Arya Cougd,
0:39.3	singers and other experts decode one Arya,
0:42.7	and then we get to hear it all the way through with fresh ears.
0:45.8	Today, it's off for Celui and Simpre Libra
0:49.0	from one of Giuseppe Verdi's most famous operas, La Traviata.
0:53.0	Sex workers are everywhere.
0:55.4	Anywhere that you could imagine yourself being,
0:57.7	that's where we are, especially the opera house.
1:01.7	MUSIC
1:08.0	So, before we get started,
1:10.4	there's a couple of super important things you need to know about me.
	...

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