According to Operabase data it would be right La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi the most represented opera in the world: thanks, perhaps, to the always appreciated theme of love as passionate as it is impossible, but certainly Verdi’s music also plays a fundamental role – some of which, like Love me Alfredo e Let us free, in the happy chalices, among the most famous ever written and reproduced -, as well as the libretto signed by Francesco Maria Piave.
Everything, however, began well before Verdi, when Alexandre Dumas son wrote and published, a few days after the death of the most coveted courtesan in Paris, the novel The lady of the camellias. It was an immediate success, since anyone, at that time, knew the protagonist of the story, the beautiful Marie Duplessis, many had been her lovers and it seems that Dumas himself did not disdain her favors. However, it must be remembered that we are in full Romanticism, and here then the story of Marie turns into that of Marguerite and Armand, whose love seems to us for a moment to be able to overcome the tragic destiny reserved for them, and then leave us moved. and saddened by the obstacles that will lead the two to separate and never see each other again until her death. A love, theirs, which will last forever, however, thanks also to the pen of Dumas, who first translated it into a novel that has now become a classic and later into a play.
Photo Credit Tabocchini Zanconi
It was precisely at one of those performances that Giuseppe Verdi attended, on a visit to Paris, remaining so fascinated by it that he decided to make an opera out of it: in her creation Marguerite becomes Violetta Valery and Armand Alfredo Germont, some elements are modified (such as the ending, in which the two are given time to take their leave) and the story simplified, but in fact Verdi remains quite faithful to Dumas’ novel. Although the first performance at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice on 6 March 1853 did not receive the appreciation that the author hoped for for various reasons, afterwards The Traviata became an essential title in the calendars of any self-respecting festival or opera season, so much so that it finally rose to prominence by conquering the top of the most staged opera in the world.
Photo Credit Tabocchini Zanconi
This explains why it certainly could not be missing in the 2021 summer calendar of splendid Sferisterio, which this year celebrates the first centenary of the Macerata Opera Festival. He writes about this important anniversary Sandro Percaroli, President of the Arena Sferisterio Association and Mayor of Macerata: “This season of the Macerata Opera Festival wanted to pay homage to the story of an event rooted in the territory and recognized internationally. A festival that respects the work, the commitment, the dedication, the attention with which the intentions are still carried out in our territory, that of the Marche region, where beauty drives us to perfection “.
Photo Credit Tabocchini Zanconi
And it was definitely perfect The Traviata proposed this year on four different dates between July and August with the direction of Henning Brockhaus and the direction of Paolo Bortolameolli: excellent interpreters, first of all Claudia Pavone in the guise of Violetta, a simply magnificent scenography – with an immense mirror to reflect the elements present on the stage -, well-finished costumes, well-structured scenes and remarkable choreography by Valentina Escobar. The staging of this opera, which together with the spectators celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the festival, was developed by the Arena Sferisterio Association, while, as regards the music, the protagonist of the four evenings was the Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra , together with the “Vincenzo Bellini” Lyric Choir of the Marche.
Always fantastic is the Sferisterio, which for centuries has confirmed itself as an ideal suggestive location for opera and more generally artistic performances, hosting concerts, dance performances, theater, special events and even experimental avant-garde performances. Besides The Traviata, the other great long-awaited work was l’Aida, also by Verdi, also staged on four different dates with a new staging by the Arena Sferisterio Association and the participation of as many as one hundred citizens. In this regard, Antonio Pettinari, Vice-President of the Arena Sferisterio Association and President of the Province of Macerata, tells us: “TheAida of 1921 left a profound mark on the history of the Sferisterio and of this territory (…). Today, in the first centenary of the work at the Sferisterio, we celebrate all the work done in recent years for the construction of a city identity that has affected the whole territory ”.
Photo Credit Tabocchini Zanconi
So a long history of love for opera, as passionate as that of The Traviata but not so tormented. The official season ended, now continues with the review Visions, which includes shows and exhibitions until 19 September in the key places of Macerata, thus exiting the Sferisterio to bring its magic throughout the city.