La Traviata
by Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi’s music is incomparable, with one heart-stoppingly beautiful melody after another, in an exquisitely romantic story. Within the social whirl of sophisticated Paris, the courtesan Violetta lives purely for pleasure but longs for true love. She finds the right man in Alfredo, but their happiness is cut short: at his father’s insistence, Violetta leaves Alfredo for the sake of his family. Her spirit broken, her health shattered, Violetta now lives only with the hope that Alfredo will return to her. La traviata gives us one of opera’s most glorious heroines, a woman of boundless humanity and emotional depth.
Sung in Italian with projected English translations
Running Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes with 2 intermissions
Barber of Seville
by Gioachino Rossini
The Barber of Seville is the most popular of all opera comedies. Rossini’s effervescent music inspires smiles and laughter on every page. The irrepressible Rosina refuses to marry her pompous old guardian. Meanwhile, a bold young count is eager to win Rosina for himself. And who’s going to make sure those two finish the opera united? The cleverest character in all of Seville: the multitalented barber, Figaro, whose services are sought after by everyone for everything.
Sung in Italian with projected English translations
Running time: 2 hrs and 30 minutes with 1 intermission