“Sempre libera” (“Always free”) is a duet from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata composed in 1853. La traviata; The Fallen Woman) is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La Dame aux camélias (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas fils adapted from his own 1848 novel. The opera was originally titled Violetta, after the main character. It was first performed on 6 March 1853 at La Fenice opera house in Venice.
Piave and Verdi wanted to follow Dumas in giving the opera a contemporary setting, but the authorities at La Fenice insisted that it be set in the past, “c. 1700”. It was not until the 1880s that the composer’s and librettist’s original wishes were carried out and “realistic” productions were staged. La traviata has become immensely popular and is among the most frequently performed of all operas.
It’s a cornerstone of the operatic repertoire: Violetta’s Act I aria from La traviata. It’s got everything, from delicious long lines to flashy coloratura, and it has the special honour of closing the opera’s first act. Violetta is a role that most sopranos covet, and many of them start their Traviata trip with “Sempre libera”.
In mid-19th-century Paris, Violetta Valéry is a courtesan of fragile health. At one of her parties, she encounters young Alfredo Germont. She has not previously considered herself capable of true love, but she falls in love with Alfredo, who has long loved her from afar. They live blissfully in the country until Violetta is visited by Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father. He insists that she give his son up, for the sake of his family. Heartbroken, Violetta agrees and resumes her life with her previous lover, Baron Douphol. The furious Alfredo confronts Violetta at a party, violently insults her in public, and challenges the Baron to a duel. Alfredo goes abroad, but when he learns from his father of Violetta’s sacrifice, he returns to her. They have time for only a brief, ecstatic reunion before Violetta dies.
In this scene, Violetta (Albina Shagimuratova), a courtesan in Paris, gives a party where she’s wooed by Alfredo (Giorgio Berrugi). Once she’s alone, she laughs off the idea of true love and vows to live for pleasure, even when she hears the voice of Alfredo outside her window.
ITALIAN:
Sempre libera degg’io
Folleggiar di gioia in gioia,
Vo’ che scorra il viver mio
Pei sentieri del piacer,
Nasca il giorno, o il giorno muoia,
Sempre lieta ne’ ritrovi
A diletti sempre nuovi
Dee volare il mio pensier.
ENGLISH:
Free and aimless I must flutter
From pleasure to pleasure,
Skimming the surface
Of life’s primrose path.
As each day dawns,
As each day dies,
Gaily I turn to the new delights
That make my spirit soar.
