Verdi’s La Traviata is one of the most beloved operas of all time. Since premiering in 1853, it has captured the hearts of the public and its beautiful melodies and compelling story have turned up in unexpected places.
In movies
Probably the most famous reference to La traviata is the Richard Gere and Julia Roberts 1990 classic Pretty Woman. The movie borrows heavily from La Traviata’s plot - in both, an escort tries to leave her old life behind and start afresh after falling in love. Both Violetta, and Pretty Woman’s Vivian try to fit in to their new lives, challenging the stigma of their occupation whilst being judged by those around them. The film even pays homage to Verdi’s masterpiece with the main characters attending a performance of La Traviata.
Although director Baz Luhrmann stated that his jukebox movie Moulin Rouge was inspired by the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, the comparisons to La traviata are obvious. Satine (Nicole Kidman) is a courtesan living in Paris, who, like Violetta, is suffering from consumption. She falls in love with writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) who promises to show her a new life, but their love is threatened by a wealthy Duke, who stands between them. After declaring their love for one another, Satine dies in Christian’s arms, again mirroring La traviata, which ends with Violetta dying in Alfredo’s arms.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’s most memorable scene sees drag queen Felicia (Guy Pearce) roll across the desert atop their bus, with shiny silver fabric billowing behind her. Felicia performs a fabulous lip-sync to Violetta’s aria, ‘Sempre libera’, in which she declares that she will always be free. This iconic moment has been recreated for the stage musical version of Priscilla, which has toured the world.
Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunit movie Knives Out sets the mysterious mood with a score that includes La Traviata’s ‘E strano! – ‘Ah, fors’è lui’ in a scene that is full of nostalgia and the inevitability of death. Marta, the heroine of Knives Out, also mirrors Violetta; she too is a woman on the edge of society who is abused by the upper class.
In commercials
In order to create a scene packed with drama and tension, capturing the journey of trying to navigate through a packed pub while carrying several pints of beer, Heineken used ‘Libiamo’, the famous drinking song from La traviata.
Like Felicia in Priscilla, Nissan also wanted to denote freedom and independence in their advertisements for the Qashqai and used Violetta’s aria, ‘Sempre libera’; a suitably effervescent accompaniment for its urban adventures.
In fashion
For the 2014 Grammy Awards, pop star Katy Perry wore a bespoke gown designed by fashion legend Valentino, embroidered with the music from the start of the first act, ‘Dell'invito trascorsa e gia l'ora’. The gown took 1,600 hours to embroider and was titled ‘La Valse de Violetta Valéry’.
Two years later, Valentino designed costumes for a new production of the opera, directed by Academy Award-winner Sofia Coppola. Making a spectacular entrance to the Act I party scene, Violetta dazzled in a black dress with a 10ft turquoise tulle train. However, the most jaw-dropping costume was the Valentino-red ballgown in Act II.
Experience this spectacular and inspirational production for yourself as we take Verdi’s masterpiece on tour this Autumn to Cardiff, Llandudno, Bristol, Plymouth, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Southampton.