Victor de Sabata Hall – Ridotto of the Teatro Verdi
29 September – 10 October 2026
LA STORIA DELLA TRAVIATA (THE STORY OF LA TRAVIATA)
One-act reduction by ANDREA STANISCI
(based on La Traviata by GIUSEPPE VERDI)
New orchestration by EMANUELE STRACCHI
Konzertmeister STEFANO FURINI
Director ANDREA STANISCI
Set and costume design by ANDREA STANISCI
Lighting design by FRANCESCO SIVI
New production by the Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste
Characters and performers
Violetta Valéry
ANNA GRAF (29, 30 September; 2, 3 October)
YULIA MERKUDINOVA (6, 7, 8, 10 October)
Alfredo Germont
BRAYAN AVILA MARTINEZ (29, 30 September; 2, 3 October)
KRISTIAN MARUŠIĆ (6, 7, 8, 10 October)
Giorgio Germont
GANGSOON KIM (29, 30 September; 6, 7, 8, 10 October)
JURE POČKAJ (2, 3 October)
Annina/Narrator DANIELA GATTORNO
Orchestra and technical staff of the Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste
Returning by popular demand from 29 September to 10 October, La Storia della Traviata, commissioned and produced by the Fondazione, brings the Teatro Verdi’s much-loved series introducing audiences to opera back to the Ridotto Victor de Sabata. Opera’s most famous tragic tale is reimagined as an hour-long performance with chamber orchestra, through a new adaptation by Andrea Stanisci, who also directs, and a musical reduction by Emanuele Stracchi. Both were conceived specifically to introduce schoolchildren and families to Verdi’s masterpiece, remaining faithful to the original while approaching its themes with the sensitivity that an educational production requires. The project also proved a great success with a wider and more varied audience, prompting this revival just a few months after its May premiere.
Following Mozart, Rossini, the less frequently performed Salieri, and musical fairy tales, the Ridotto Victor de Sabata opened a new chapter in May for its established “Opere in un Atto” (“Operas in One Act”) series, turning to the grand, dramatic repertoire of nineteenth-century opera. Leading the way was one of Verdi’s most iconic works, La Traviata, the much-debated masterpiece that concludes his so-called “Popular Trilogy”. Through the adaptation by director and set designer Andrea Stanisci, La Traviata is presented in a new yet faithful form, which he describes as follows: “The story of Violetta is told by the person who, in Verdi’s opera, remains at her side from beginning to end: her maid Annina. In this production she becomes the devoted guardian of her memory, of her joys and her sorrows. Perhaps the only one who truly knew her, who always supported and accompanied her without ever asking anything in return. Annina’s narration thus becomes the thread that binds together the opera’s most moving arias and musical moments.” This offers a more intimate, human perspective through which to introduce young audiences and families to a work originally conceived to épater le bourgeois – to provoke and scandalise – both in Alexandre Dumas fils’ novel La Dame aux Camélias, inspired by the historical figure of Marie Duplessis, the most famous courtesan of Louis-Philippe’s Paris, and in Francesco Maria Piave’s libretto for Verdi’s opera. The chamber arrangement is by composer, pianist and conductor Emanuele Stracchi, who explains: “The reduction takes the form of a work of synthesis aimed at preserving the identity of the opera in a more immediate format. The orchestral forces, reduced in scale, with one player per wind part, also contribute to greater transparency of sound and, in the absence of a chorus, to a stronger emphasis on the solo voices. At the centre remains Violetta, a complex and modern figure whose inner journey continues to resonate with today’s audiences with undiminished power. This reduced version of La Traviata thus presents itself as a “gateway” to the world of opera. An invitation to listen, placing the essential and the extraordinary effectiveness of Verdi’s music firmly in the foreground.”
On the podium is conductor Stefano Furini, a longstanding pillar of the Verdi Orchestra. On stage, Russian soprano Anna Graf brings her outstanding portrayal of Violetta to the production, alternating with Ukrainian soprano Yulia Merkudinova, while rising young tenors Brayan Avila Martinez and Kristian Marušić share the role of Alfredo Germont. Giorgio Germont is sung by young Korean baritone Gangsoon Kim and accomplished Slovenian baritone Jure Počkaj. Trieste-born actress, director and teacher Daniela Gattorno plays the devoted Annina, both narrating the story and taking part in the stage action.
Victor de Sabata Hall – Ridotto of the Teatro Verdi
Tuesday 29 September 2026, 11:00 AM
Wednesday 30 September 2026, 11:00 AM
Friday 2 October 2026, 11:00 AM
Saturday 3 October 2026, 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM
Tuesday 6 October 2026, 11:00 AM
Wednesday 7 October 2026, 11:00 AM
Thursday 8 October 2026, 11:00 AM
Saturday 10 October 2026, 11:00 AM
Tickets: €10 standard; €5 for under-18s and school students. Information and reservations for schools and groups: promozione@teatroverdi-trieste.com.
Tickets are available from the theatre box office, open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. On performance days, the box office opens one hour before the start of the performance. Closed on Mondays.