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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.

This site was created in response to my new years resolution: "Music 25 concerts in 52 weeks"

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