La Traviata
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La Traviata
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Narrated by:
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David Timson
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By:
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Thomson Smillie
About this listen
La Traviata owes its enduring popularity to a superb story of young love and fatal sacrifice, set to music by Italy’s master melodist at the peak of his powers. Interest and poignancy are added by the fact that this is a true story - the baritone ‘heavy’ is Alexander Dumas who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo. But it is the central figure, the heroine Violetta, the archetypal ‘whore with the heart of gold’ who dominates the piece. It is her opera and we love her for it.
A superb ‘human interest’ story, a captivating cast of characters, and music which is both enchanting and insightful: just some of La Traviata’s ingredients explaining its enduring popularity. The characters are outlined with Smillie’s reliable blend of insight and originality: "Violetta, we must accept, is the proverbial Whore with the Heart of Gold, and this ravishing melody goes a long way towards melting the said heart." David Timson narrates throughout.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2002 Naxos AudioBooks (P)2002 Naxos AudioBooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Story4 out of 5 stars 9
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
The Flying Dutchman is the perfect opera with which to approach the operatic mountain that is Richard Wagner. It is short, has a great story (the legend of the Dutch captain doomed to sail forever unless redeemed through love), and the striking score has many pre-echoes of Wagner's later great music dramas. It contains wonderful tunes in its arias, ensembles, and big choruses, and the orchestral writing - from the gale that blows out of the Overture to the final theme of "Redemption through Love" - will "blow you away".
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4 out of 5 stars
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Cavalleria Rusticana
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
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Cavalleria rusticana is the short opera that has all the elements of a grand opera compressed into a single highly dramatic time span. The story of love, lust, blood-feud, and betrayal played out against the pageantry of the Easter celebrations in a Sicilian village delivers an emotional wallop because of the youthful vigor and musical wealth of its great score which includes the glorious "Easter Hymn" and the deeply moving "Intermezzo". Mascagni was never to repeat his youthful success but this brief work is enough to ensure his immortality.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoy the opera as it was meant to be
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By: Thomson Smillie
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Puccini’s swansong has a claim to being the last great popular opera. Its melodies have enchanted audiences since its posthumous premiere in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. It involves a chilling story of love and cruelty, an intriguing cast of characters against the exotic backdrop of Imperial China, magnificent choruses and ensembles, and dazzling orchestration in an exotic score that comprises a string of remarkable arias - among which the great tenor aria "Nessun dorma" is the jewel. It is more than Puccini’s last opera: It is the last word, in every sense, on Italian opera.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fire and ice, hope and blood
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Editorial reviews
If ever you thought you’d like to give opera a listen but it just seems too impenetrable, this is your chance to give it a go. Opera scholar and writer Thomas Smillie has put together a wonderfully approachable series titled, Opera Explained. In this edition, performed enthusiastically by the veteran, David Timson, Smillie explains the enduring story of romance and sacrifice from the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. Combining entertaining insight with beautiful renditions of Verdi’s opera, Smillie makes Verdi’s La Traviata accessible to listeners from all backgrounds.
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 67
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Story4 out of 5 stars 67
The True Story of The Coward Brothers follows two musical brothers – one English, one American, both the illegitimate sons of dubious parentage who may, as they claim to be, "one and half-brothers" – perhaps a reference to the disparity in their height and relative talents.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Cute
- By NRo on 11-26-24
By: Elvis Costello
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The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
- By: Lorraine Hansberry
- Narrated by: Oscar Isaac, Rachel Brosnahan, Gus Birney, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 69
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 64
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Story3 out of 5 stars 64
Fresh off the success of her groundbreaking first play, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window tells the tragicomic story of a young bohemian couple in New York's Greenwich Village, struggling to do what's right in a world that rewards everything that's wrong. Sidney is a dreamer who wants his own Walden Pond; Iris is a budding actress whose own backstory is a performance. They're caught in a moment where, "the world is about to crack right down the middle," as the play tackles racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, liberal complacency, and more.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent performance of Hansberry play
- By Betsy Fowler on 11-30-24
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Beat the Devil
- By: David Hare, Donald Katz - Introduction
- Narrated by: David Hare
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 126
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 114
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 114
In the spring of 2020, as the world grappled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic, acclaimed British screenwriter and playwright David Hare was struck down by the virus himself. With brutal honesty, sharp humor, and his trademark insight, the renowned writer of modern classics like Skylight and Plenty brings us into his own experience battling the bizarre and terrifying symptoms of Covid-19.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Almost Hilarious If Not Sad
- By Anonymous User on 10-30-24
By: David Hare, and others
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Shelved
- By: Emrys Maxwell, Tom Maxwell
- Narrated by: Emrys Maxwell, Tom Maxwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
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Story5 out of 5 stars 4
SHELVED explores the history and drama behind albums that were deemed too controversial, too far from the beaten path, or too ahead of their time for public consumption. Through interviews with musicians, producers, record executives, and journalists, as well as archival audio, key music and personal storytelling, each episode examines the “shelved” album’s place in musical history, and the spectacles behind each missed or nearly missed release.
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5 out of 5 stars
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For Real Music Lovers & Music Heads
- By Kait Walsh on 12-11-24
By: Emrys Maxwell, and others
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Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon
- Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops, and the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
- By: David McGowan
- Narrated by: Bill Fike
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 833
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 699
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Story4 out of 5 stars 702
The very strange but nevertheless true story of the dark underbelly of a 1960s hippie utopia. Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and early 1970s was a magical place where a dizzying array of musical artists congregated to create much of the music that provided the soundtrack to those turbulent times. But there was a dark side to that scene as well. Many didn't make it out alive, and many of those deaths remain shrouded in mystery to this day.
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5 out of 5 stars
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My first review. This book changed me.
- By Robert on 06-30-19
By: David McGowan
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Farewell Yellow Brick Road
- Memories of My Life on Tour
- By: Elton John, David Furnish - foreword
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Vikas Adam, Daniel Henning, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
Farewell Yellow Brick Road is a celebration of Elton John's record-breaking, globe-spanning farewell tour—from Allentown to Auckland, from Sydney to San Francisco. Featured concerts include Elton’s dazzling performances at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in November 2022, the finale of which streamed live on Disney+. Fans will be treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse into every aspect of these spectacular shows, including Elton’s legendary touring wardrobe by Gucci, the set design, official photography, and more.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Elton is Still Standing...better than ever!
- By Richard Lopez on 11-06-24
By: Elton John, and others
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Alex Newell and the Gospel of a Diva
- By: Alex Newell
- Narrated by: Alex Newell
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 13
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 12
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Story5 out of 5 stars 12
From a breakout role in the smash-hit Glee to breaking barriers as the first nonbinary-identifying Tony Award winner for their featured performance in Shucked, Alex Newell is no stranger to the spotlight. Now, listen to the talented trailblazer as you’ve never seen them before in their intimate new show, Alex Newell and the Gospel of a Diva. Alex shares untold stories from their remarkable life and career alongside a selection of their favorite tunes.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An Entertainer's Entertainer
- By Phoebe Stratton on 12-13-24
By: Alex Newell
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The Godfather: A Film We Can't Refuse
- By: Paramount Pictures
- Narrated by: Rebecca Keegan
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 255
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 232
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 232
With exclusive insights from the legendary cast, including Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro, and Talia Shire, and commentary from a diverse array of film experts and ardent aficionados, we dissect the film’s magnetic allure and its pervasive influence across our culture. Journey alongside Rebecca Keegan, acclaimed senior film editor at The Hollywood Reporter, as she explores the heart of this cinematic masterpiece through a new lens.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Deep dive into The Godfather
- By C.F. on 08-28-24
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Petty: The Biography
- By: Warren Zanes
- Narrated by: Warren Zanes
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,075
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,846
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,842
No one other than Warren Zanes, rocker and writer and friend, could author a book about Tom Petty that is as honest and evocative of Petty's music and the remarkable rock and roll history he and his band helped to write. Born in Gainesville, Florida, with more than a little hillbilly in his blood, Tom Petty was a Southern shit kicker, a kid without a whole lot of promise. Rock and roll made it otherwise.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Tom Petty gets some bio love
- By tru britty on 12-15-15
By: Warren Zanes
What listeners say about La Traviata
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- EmilyK
- 11-23-18
interesting and educational look at the opera
This series is great for learning about an opera, in this case the Verdi classic. I listened to this before I attended a live performance and it helped immeasurably. The narration is wonderful and there's a lot of humor as well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- opera4steph
- 02-04-21
Superb Synopsis
Perfectly adequate examination of Verdi's opera "La Traviata" for any layperson. I highly recommend it.
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