| 26 February 2011 21:00 | to | 27 February 2011 02:30 |
Performance of selected arias from the opera La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
Gala Dinner and Entertainment.
The Ball will be located in the authentic Venice, in a 14th century Palace, Palazzo Pesaro Papafava, with its precious gothic facade & its elegant quadriform gothic windows overlooking the canal of the Misericordia. The palace will be illuminated entirely with candlelights to create a memorable atmosphere.
Based on a novel called La Dame aux camelias (1848) by Alexandre Dumas junior, which caused scandal due to the saucy theme (a story of the love life of Alphonsine Duplessis, one of the most famous Parisian courtesan of the time) and played in contemporary setting, La Traviata is among the most famous operas by Verdi. The authorities at La Fenice Theatre showed tolerance and gave their consent to the performance but insisted that it be set in the 17th century. Thus the unbridled effect of the contemporary chronicle vanished together with a potential attitude of the audience to identify with facts and characters. At its production in Venice at La Fenice Theatre in 1853 La Traviata was a failure; the chief blame for the fiasco appears to have rested with the singers, so much that later Verdi introduced major changes to adapt the parts to new singers. When the opera was brought forward again a year later at San Benedetto Theatre in Venice, the same city which had decried it as a failure acclaimed it a success.
While composing the opera, Verdi adopts a new narrative technique, rather unusual for the melodrama of the period. In modern terms it is possible to refer to it as a flashback, or narration of events moving backwards, through the notes of the prelude at the beginning of the opera: a musical portrait of the female protagonist, in a condition of physical decline, while her mind wanders with nostalgia to the past vexed love relationship (it is the passionate solo “Amami, Alfredo” in Act 2) and to the lighthearted days of Parisian frivolity when their passion flared.
21.00: Elegant cocktail with Baroque Quartet
21.45: Seated Gala Dinner wines included
23.00: Performance of the most beautiful arias from the opera La Traviata
Midnight: Live music and dances
Dress Code: costume and mask
Cost: 285 € per person
Do not hesitate to consult us for the rent of costumes
Our Atelier will be under your disposal for costumes, masks and accessories.
The Palace is reachable by 5 minutes walk from Ca D’Oro vaporetto stop: Calle Racchetta, Cannaregio 3764. Reachable also by its water door (in front of the Church of the Misericordia).
For further informations, contact our office:
