At the heart of the opera is Violetta, a celebrated Parisian courtesan whose love affair with Alfredo ends in tragedy. But the story has fascinating roots in real life. Andrew explores Verdi’s career and the circumstances in which he came to write La Traviata, alongside the life of Marie Duplessis, the notorious courtesan who inspired Alexandre Dumas’s The Lady of the Camellias — the novel and play on which the opera is based.
The event starts at 7pm - the bar opens at 6.30pm
There are also intriguing parallels with Verdi’s own relationship with the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi. With musical highlights from the opera, Andrew will reveal the people, passions and circumstances behind one of Verdi’s greatest works.

16th October 7.00pm - until 9.00pm (120 mins)