La Traviata, the Opera

On the often seen social media list of forty things you have done, Stan and I can now add “attended a live opera performance” to our list of “have-done.”  After that, not too much on that list is left undone. What a life!

What did we think after our first (and note, I did say first) opera?  I cannot say we are now fans, or aficionados, but there was nothing we did not like.   The performance was at 8:30 pm (pretty close to our normal bedtime these days) at St. Paul’s Within The Walls, a magnificent church. We had first-row tickets for an intimate viewing and guaranteed good acoustics and visibility. The ensemble of eight musicians plus pianoforte was immediately in front of our seats.  They were mesmerizing to watch; it was difficult to take our eyes away.  The musicians’ attention to the maestro, the precision of their movements, their fingering of the string instruments, and the perfection of the flute and oboe was a show in itself.  The singers, outfitted in period costumes, were stupendous!  

A bit of info for other novice opera guests: Italy is the birthplace of opera, of course, and since Verdi, the composer of La Traviata, was Italian, the vocals were in Italian. We Googled La Traviata to learn the storyline, which is very simple, in short, very short: Alfredo falls in love with the lucious, highly desirable woman, Violetta. But she is socially unacceptable, and Alfredo’s father tells him so. Humiliated and heartbroken, Violetta tells Alfredo that she loves another to let him off the hook. Meanwhile, Alfredo learns he is broke and that during their time together, the couple lived on her money. Now he is also humiliated. Alfredo repays his debt to Violetta with money he won in a card game. Alfredo and Violetta reconcile, but he soon learns that his love is dying of tuberculosis. The father accepts the union, but it is far too late. Beautiful Violetta falls to the floor and tragically dies, ohhhhh . . .

Strange, mid-point in Act II, the musicians and artists all got up and rushed out.   Stan started putting on his coat, ready to leave, “I guess that’s it.”   I said, ” I don’t think so, I know there are three acts.” Still not convinced, Stan argued, “But everyone is getting up.” People stood up to stretch, but no one left. Sure enough, though, in a few minutes, the muscians and singers returned, all refreshed, for the second half of Act 2 and the Act 3 finale. 

Certainly, I cannot commit to attending more operas, especially with my man Stan, but last night’s singular event was a real treat for both of us! 

As we waited for our subway home, the young lady who played and sang the part of Violetta walked past us.  I saw her approaching and murmured, “Bravo!”  With a little gasp, she swiftly turned and smiled at us. I added, “We were there.”  She replied, “I know, I saw you.”  We told her we thought the performance was wonderful and shared with her that it was our first opera. She graciously thanked us for seeing the show and asked where we are from and how we are enjoying Rome.

And then our train arrived.