b'in Paris. Strepponi, who had previously been Verdis leading soprano in the premiere of his first hit, Nabucco (1841), became his trusted advisor due to her extensive opera industry experience. Though living together unmarried pushed society\'s norms (the pair didn\'t officially become husband and wife until 1859), they remained devoted to each other for the rest of their lives. Their relationship serves as one of the contexts for Verdi\'s writing of La traviata.In spite of the fact that it is one of Verdi\'s most popular operas and is frequently staged, La traviata had a far more troubled beginning than one might think. Verdi himself referred to the work on multiple occasions as a "fiasco," and the reaction that it received when it was first performed was not very enthusiastic. Only nine performances of the opera were given before it was withdrawn.Following the opera\'s withdrawal and revisions it was remounted in May of 1854 with a new and improved cast. While this version was also launched in the city of Venice, the theater chosen for the new staging was the Teatro San Benedetto. The production was a smashing success. Italy had seen 143 unique performances by the end of 1858, with another 57 occurring in other countries.Since then, Verdi\'s La traviata has been performed nearly every day in some region of the world. Verdi was asked which of his operas he considered to be his best around 25 years later. He said, as a musician, he would choose Rigoletto, but from the perspective of the audience, La traviata would win.Instrumentationflute and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, harp, strings, and solo voiceDuration9 minutes~ Kenneth BeanGeorg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant ConductorPrinceton Symphony Orchestra'