La Traviata, Opéra Bastille, Paris: 21 January-25 February 2024

Who is La Traviata? For Australian director Simon Stone, whose talent for updating the classics is well-known, Violetta is not the demi-mondaine who sells her body, as in Alexandre Dumas fils La Dame aux camélias, the inspiration for Verdi's opera. She is a social network star who markets her image and her digital advice with posts, selfies and stories. Alas! This hyper-connected world does not prevent the beauty, as in the 19th century, from having to sacrifice her love for Alfredo on the altar of social conventions. This contemporary reading is in keeping with Verdi's intentions. Whilst composing a feverish and virtuoso score, the composer criticises the brutality of a society of appearances, a machine that crushes individualities. Especially in the case of women aspiring to be free: isn't “Sempre libera”, Violetta's most famous aria, the banner of this opera?