Perhaps in no other of his operas as in the magnetic La Traviata does Verdi concentrate the essence of his genius as a supreme interpreter of the human condition in all its strengths and weaknesses. Making full use of his dramatic prowess and intuitive sense of irony, Verdi's immortal score plumbs the depths of waywardness and redemption through love. Yet, there is no escaping the terrible truth that there is no redemption without the shedding of blood, be it physical or spiritual. La Traviata rises phoenix-like from the smouldering ashes of sacrificial love as a perennial testimony to the unequalled strength of the "weaker" sex. Indeed, nothing can stand in the way of the wilting Violet!