Anne Evans as Violetta before her pivot into a Wagner specialist

THE SONGBIRD: Anne Evans was born in London in 1941 of Welsh descent. She studied at the Royal College of Music and the Geneva Conservatoire. Evans made her operatic debut in the small rolee of tthe Countess Ceprano in "Rigoletto" 1967 in Geneva. Her first leading role came the following year as Fiordiligi at Sadler's Wells (later renamed the English National Opera). The repertoire in this first phase of her career included Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi roles such as Countess Almaviva, Tosca, and Violetta. In the early 1970s she found an affinity with Wagner's heroines, starting with the lyric roles of Elsa and Senta, then expanding into the composer's big dramatic roles and becoming highly sought-after as Brunnhilde and Isolde. In 2000, Evans was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). She retired in 2003 and has been teaching and coaching Wagnerian performance technique.

THE MUSIC: Verdi's "La traviata" is the most popular opera in the world. According to Operabase statistics (https://www.operabase.com/statistics/en), since 1996 it's had 4501 productions, more than any other opera. It was not a success at its premiere in Venice in 1853, due to the audience reactions to the singers. However, productions began to take hold (Madrid, Vienna, London, New York, and in a French translation in Paris) and this masterpiece been a part of the core repertoire ever since. Violetta, the principal soprano role and title character is a long, very challenging and rewarding role with consistently brilliant music and a compelling story arc. Her multipart aria at the end of Act One begins with an introspective recitative that segues into an intimate and probing aria "Ah fors'e lui" where she ponders her burgeoning attraction to Alfredo and what their life together might be like. She stops herself cold when she realizes such a domestic life would be against her nature, and her fate, and in the highly florid cabaletta "Sempre libera" vows to continue living in the carefree lifestyle of a courtesan. Evans sings the work in English, as was the custom at ENO.