THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410070543
SECTION: HAMPTON ROADS WOMAN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
LIFE IS tough in a man's world - even for opera characters. Literary critic and opera buff Toril Moi will discuss the character Violetta and her struggles in Verdi's ``La Traviata'' at the Harrison Opera House on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The talk, free and open to the public, is titled, ``La Traviata: Seduction and Society'' and is designed to stimulate interest from a woman's perspective in the themes of Virginia Opera's upcoming production.
``La Traviata'' is the story of Violetta and Alfredo who have been living together in the country for three months. Ultimately, Violetta gives up the relationship and makes a great sacrifice for her lover.
Moi is a professor of literature and romance studies at Duke University and is the author of the just-released ``Simone de Beauvoir: The Making of an Intellectual Woman.''
Her article titled ``I Desire the Law: La Traviata or the Misguided Daughter,'' which appears in Nicholas John's book ``Violetta and Her Sisters,'' caught the attention of Virginia Opera General Director Peter Mark this summer while he was in Europe. This book explores the myth of women in a man's world through pictures and writings of some of the contemporaries of Alexandre Dumas juxtaposed with responses from prominent women writers of the 1990s including Moi.
Mark invited Moi to Norfolk to speak about the themes of ``La Traviata'' in advance of the company's 20th anniversary production, which opens Friday with additional performances on Oct. 16, 18, 23 and 23.
The free talk will be held in the grand lobby of the Harrison Opera House. No reservations are required. For information on the talk or to purchase tickets for ``La Traviata,'' call the Virginia Opera Box office at 623-1223. A second free talk will be given by Moi at Old Dominion University on Friday at 3 p.m. in Room 821, Batten Arts and Letters. ILLUSTRATION: Photo courtesy of THE VIRGINIA OPERA
Violetta and her sacrifice for her lover Alfredo is the focus of
Toril Moi's talk on Thursday night at 7:30 at the Harrison Opera
House.
by CNB