“La traviata” raped by the politically correct

“La traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi is perhaps the most famous Italian opera in the world, a true emblem of our cultural heritage. The toast chorus “Libiamo nei felici calici”, which opens the first part of the work is, for example, a a very popular piece, often performed even on social and celebratory occasions, recognized as a festive hymn to light-heartedness and conviviality. But when the work was presented to the public in 1853, that chorus did not convey a sense of joyous effervescence at all, but instead a disturbing message that was deemed politically incorrect and scandalous. And the work was in fact censored. But how, Giuseppe Verdi a scandalous man? Absolutely yes. The text of his work was forced to undergo heavy modifications by the police who took care of the censorship and operated in a surgical way, purging the details deemed inconvenient, inappropriate, immoral and, indeed, politically incorrect. Reflecting on this little story can help us understand the meaning and value of theater in relation to today’s society.