Sometimes the greatest act of love is letting go. La traviata follows the life of Violetta who delights in high-class pleasures, but is secretly dying. Will she know about true love before death claims her? Washington’s National Opera launches its 2018–2019 season with a stunning new production of Verdi’s everlasting tale of fate and sacrifice, renowned for its soaring arias and heart-wrenching ending.

“La traviata,” The Fallen Woman in English is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to Francesco Maria Piave’s Italian libretto. The story is based on La Dame aux Camelias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas. The opera was originally titled Violetta, after the main character but was later changed. It was first performed at the La Fenice opera house in Venice on March 6, 1853.