Commemorating 150 years of Verdi

Intrigue, a deathly illness, and courtship figure into the plot of "La Traviata" by Italian opera giant Giuseppe Verdi. \nMany operas have stories about kings and queens of old or of ancient Greek and Roman myths at their hearts. Even biblical stories sometimes serve as the subject. This weekend, however, features an opera with a plot that could hardly be more mundane. "La Traviata" features the story of a Parisian courtesan of the 1840s, who has amassed a considerable degree of wealth and influence through various love affairs. \n"The Lady of the Camellias" by Alexandre Dumas fils influenced the libretto. The novel tells the story of a famous 1840s Parisian courtesan -- Marie Duplessis. In the libretto, Marie is transformed from Dumas' Marguerite into Violetta Valéry, the greatest Parisian courtesan of the 1840s. Despite a myriad of love affairs, Violetta finally falls in love with Alfredo Germont, a young poet. However, before the end, the characters go through a number of transformations and stressful incidents.\n"It is remarkable that Verdi chose to represent an actual situation of his own day instead of historic subjects," stage director Mark Clark said. "He was living with a woman, who was not his wife, which probably gave him a more personal angle on the subject."\nThe cultural interplay within the opera also makes it very unique. The story occurs in Paris, but the opera is written in Italian, so both the theatrics of the French and the emotion of the Italians play important parts in adding feeling to the work.\n"You get the best of both worlds," Clark said.\nHe also added that "La Traviata" contains beautiful, personal and emotionally expressive music. With such theatric and emotional demands, casting played an important role in bringing the opera to life, especially since it contains some of the most vocally and dramatically demanding roles in all of operatic literature. The final casting decision was left to a committee.\n"Although one would think a casting committee to be a bad idea because of conflicting opinions, the opportunity for discussion actually resulted in better casting," Clark said.\nThe committee took great care in casting both larger and smaller roles because every single part, no matter how small, contributes to the overall impression of the performance. In addition, the selection of the chorus was painstaking as the chorus plays a larger role in the plot than usual. The use of a double cast also allowed more opportunities for singers to perform.\nJacqueline Burchett, who sings the star role of Violetta in the Saturday cast saw one enormous challenge -- endurance. Violetta's part is featured throughout the entire opera with little to no room for respite. In fact, it was endurance that determined Burchett's selection as Violetta. \n"Violetta goes through a number of emotions and the challenge is to give depth to the character while still being able to produce a good sound," Burchett said.\nMuch more than singing is required, though. The part requires an actress, who is able to cope with the oddities of the role.\n"I have to cough to show I have tuberculosis, which is actually bad for the vocal chords and almost impossible to do with an orchestra playing," Burchett said.\nBurchett has researched the character of Marie Duplessis in detail. In order to present a truthful image of Violetta, Burchett will add extra pallor of tuberculosis victims to her makeup. Her goal is to provide the most convincing Violetta she can convey.\nStage designer C. David Higgins explained the stage elements and how they affect the production. The general look of the stage is set in period furnishings. The result of a month of preparation is an Italian design with French themes. Higgins described the general appearance of the stage as "Romantic realism" -- fairly literal interpretation to the designs was given a slightly idealized touch.\n"We wanted all environments to reflect the physical and emotional state of Violetta in a highly romanticized way," Higgins said.\nDespite the set's vividness, it is 25 years old and this is most likely the last time it will be used.\nExpectations are high for the performances and the production members have many hopes for the performances' success. \n"I want the audience to be touched by the work," Clark said. "You can't try too hard at this, so it must happen through the music and drama."\n"La Traviata" first premiered in March 1853, making this performance an exact 150th anniversary.\nThe opera opens at 8 p.m. tonight at the Musical Arts Center. Tickets range from $18 to $28 for the general public and $12 to $20 for IUB students with a valid ID. The opera also plays March 7 and 8.