A revolutionary opera of social denunciation, which after a disastrous debut – in 1853 – became one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of musical theatre. This is the calling card of “La Traviata”, an opera set to music by Giuseppe Verdi, which will be staged at the Teatro del Popolo in Castelfiorentino on Thursday 27 June, at 9:00 p.m. (admission free).
The last performance of the “Giugno Musicale Castellano” , the event promoted by the Orpheus Association, “Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò” and the “G. Verdi” Philharmonic in collaboration with the Music School and the patronage of the Municipality of Castelfiorentino, “La Traviata” is still one of the most modern and beloved operas by the Emilian composer, even though it deals with a theme considered scandalous for the time.
At the centre of the performance is the drama of the protagonist, Violetta, and the denunciation of the hypocrisy of society, which tends to circumscribe relationships in a narrow and bigoted sphere. The choral part will be entrusted to the Coro Lirico Castellano (a group created two years ago within the association “Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò”) supported by a small number of professional choristers such as Maila Fulignati (soprano who plays the character of Violetta) tenor Alessandro Fantoni, baritone Sergio Bologna. The performance of the opera will be supported by the Orpheus Orchestra (conducted by Maestro Gabriele Centorbi), while the direction, sets and costumes are by Franco Spina, who joined the new city council a few days ago with the delegation to Culture, events, communication, tourism, city brand, and the historic centre.
“La Traviata,” observes Franco Spina, “is an inexhaustible work, capable of telling its story in a different way each time, because its main theme is boundless and rich in implications and consequences: the clash between the pursuit of happiness and one’s own good and “fidelity” to one’s moral nature, the “duty” of belonging to a precise ethical universe, the clash between the state of nature and civilisation.
“The performance that concludes the review of the Giugno Musicale Castellano – observes the Mayor, Francesca Giannì – is the fruit of a fruitful collaboration between some of the most beautiful associations operating in our territory, to reaffirm opera as a high-level event, rich in the artistic quality of its performers, closely connected to the roots and cultural identity of the Castelfiorentino community. I am also happy that the review will conclude at the Teatro del Popolo, the most active and dynamic cultural infrastructure of our city and certainly one of the most important historical theatres in Tuscany”.
