"Di Provenza il mar"

The sea of Provence

GERMONT
The sea and soil of Provence?
Who erased them from your heart?
What fate took you from
The bright sunshine of your home?
Oh, remember even in your sorrow
What brought you joy there.
And there alone can peace
Shine on you again.
God was guiding me!

Ah! You do not know
How much your old father suffered!
With you far away
His home was covered in misery.
But if I have finally found you again
If my hopes are not in vain,
If the voice of honour
Is not completely still in you,
God has answered my prayers!

La traviata (The Fallen Woman) by Giuseppe Verdi

The opera, based on a play adapted from the 1848 novel by Alexandre Dumas La Dame aux Camélias, was originally titled Violetta, after the main character.
Alfredo Germont has long adored society courtesan Violetta Valéry from afar. At a party she hosts he gives a toast – a rousing drinking song – but Violetta is then overcome by a fainting fit. Alfredo stays with her, offering to protect her as her lover. Violetta laughs off his passionate declarations; she must be free to enjoy herself.
Violetta and Alfredo leave Paris for the countryside but their happiness is short-lived. Alfredo’s father, Germont, arrives unexpectedly, asking her to leave his son, to spare the family the shame of this connection with a courtesan. She agrees, asking only that, one day, Germont reveals her sacrifice to Alfredo. Germont tries to console the devastated Alfredo by reminding him of the happiness he once had with his family in Provence, hoping he will return home.
Violetta returns to her old life in Paris and a liaison with her former lover, Baron Douphol. Alfredo encounters them at a party and tensions rise. In the final act, Violetta is dying of consumption. Alfredo now knows of her sacrifice and arrives to beg her forgiveness. Caught in the moment, the lovers plan a happy future together. But Violetta’s new-found strength is fleeting; she suddenly collapses and dies.

Scroll to Top