G. Verdi’s La Traviata is one of the most popular and most produced operas in the world. This work also marked the beginning of Lithuanian opera, which celebrates its centenary on the 31 December 2020. In the repertoire of LNOBT, since the establishment of the theater, it has not been performed for only a couple of years, so we often call it “national Lithuanian opera”. Throughout the 20th century and until 2002 we greeted the New Year by raising champagne glasses together with Violetta and Alfredo. For a while, this tradition was gone, but on 31 December 2021, while celebrating the 100th anniversary of Lithuanian opera, we shall once again spend New Year’s Eve with the sound of La Traviata. This will be the ninth production of this opera at the LNOBT. 

The director of the new production Fabio Ceresa says: “First of all, in the production I am looking for the effect of surprise, which we experience when we see beautiful scenes, well-groomed costumes. It is of course important to focus on the ideas of dramaturgy and the essence of the performance, but the aesthetic beauty only enhances the value of art, the eye-catching image conveys the true magic of opera. The costumes of my production are infused with luxury, history, fantasy – it contributes to the creation of that magic. The same is true of the scenography: it is rich, luxurious, evoking sense of aesthetic satisfaction. This is very important to me indeed. It is an integral part of the opera, which I believe is important to preserve and convey.“