Operas' best known arias
Verdi
La Traviata
De'miei bollenti spiriti
Best known singer: Placido Domingo
Act II: Track 9
Spotify listeners: 121k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Alfredo rejoices in his new life with Violetta. His aria bursts with youthful passion and optimism, unaware of the storm that soon threatens their happiness.
Verdi
La Traviata
Di Provenza il mar
Best known singer: Sherrill Milnes
Act II: Track 14
Spotify listeners: 98k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Germont pleads with Alfredo to return home. The aria’s gentle melody evokes nostalgia and paternal love, aiming to sway Alfredo with memories of family and duty.
Verdi
La Traviata
Ah! Ditte alla giovine
Best known singer: Robert Merrill
Act II: Track 12
Spotify listeners: 96k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Germont pleads with Violetta to sacrifice her love for Alfredo.
Verdi
La Traviata
Tenesta la promessa - Addio del passato
Best known singer: Angela Gheorghiu
Act III: Track 5
Spotify listeners: 75k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Violetta abandoned and dying, reflects on her fading life and lost happiness.Her voice fades with sorrow
Verdi
La Traviata
Signora- Che t'accadde - Parigi o cara
Best known singer: Freni & Pavarotti
Act III: Track 8
Spotify listeners: 79k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Alfedo returns. Violetta and Alfredo dream of peaceful days together, singing a duet, in Paris and Violetta hides her weakness.
Verdi
La Traviata
Ah, non piu -Ah Gran Dio! morir si giovane
Best known singer: Montserrat Caballa
Act III: Track 8
Spotify listeners: 79k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Violetta's final moments. She laments dying so young and losing her future. Her ralllies but her desperation grows as she senses her strength fading away and the music shifts from fragile joy into devasting silence
Verdi
La Traviata
Un di felice
Best known singer: Alfredo Kraus
Act I: Track 5
Spotify listeners: 200k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Alfredo confesses his love with poetic sincerity. The music flows tenderly, contrasting Violetta’s guarded response, hinting at the emotional gulf between their worlds.
Verdi
La Traviata
E strano - Ah fors'e lui
Best known singer: Renata Scotto
Act I: Track 6
Spotify listeners: 153k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Violetta wonders if Alfredo might be the true love she longed for. Torn between desire and disbelief, her thoughts unfold in lyrical waves as her heart opens to hope and fear of change
Verdi
La Traviata
Libiamo ne' lieti calici "Brindisi"
Best known singer: Luciano Pavarotti
Act I: Track 3
Spotify listeners: 34m
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
A sparkling drinking song where Violetta and Alfredo toast love and joy. The duet’s infectious rhythm and celebratory tone set the stage for romance and fleeting happiness.
Verdi
La Traviata
Follie Follie! - Sempre libera
Best known singer: Maria Callas
Act I: Track 7
Spotify listeners: 185k
Disc: Anna Nettrebko, DG
Violetta rejects love’s constraints, declaring her devotion to freedom and pleasure. Her dazzling coloratura expresses defiance, masking vulnerability as Alfredo’s voice haunts her from offstage.
