La traviata
No opera is more contemporary and better suited to denounce the evils of conformity than Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata (with libretto by Francesco Maria Piave). It shows how sweet can spontaneous love be, as between passionate Alfredo (“De’ miei bollenti spiriti”) and dreamy, shy Violetta (“È strano, è strano… Sempre libera”). It denounces the relentless force of conformist thinking, attached by Germont to values he himself falls prey to (“Pura siccome un angelo”). It also reveals the strength and dignity of an incredibly beautiful woman, bound to die of an incurable illness yet determined to preserve her pure heart, despite what people think and say about her (“Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti”).