LEWISTON — A program about the most often performed opera in history, Verdi’s “La Traviata,” will be presented at La Rencontre on Thursday, July 13, at the Gendron Franco Center, 46 Cedar St.
La Rencontre will start at 11:25 a.m. Originally, Louis Philippe was to appear. However, due to a scheduling conflict, he will appear on Thursday, Sept. 14.
The cost for the meal and program is $10. Doors will open at 10 a.m.
La Rencontre is not restricted to French-speakers or those of Franco descent. All are welcome to attend, as long as spots remain open. The meal will be meat loaf.
After the meal, Opera Maine’s dramaturge, Calien Lewis, will present a program about “La Traviata,” giving special note to the opera’s French connections.
The opera, being presented in late July by Opera Maine at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, has unforgettable music. Lewis, who has been with the opera company for 19 years, will present a conversation about the upcoming production.
The opera’s heroine is based on a real person who lived in the mid-1800s, Marie Duplessis, who was born a simple peasant and became a renowned Parisian courtesan. One of her lovers was the great French novelist Alexandre Dumas, who wrote the novel, “La Dame aux Camellias,” based on their affair.
The novel inspired Verdi and his librettist to write an opera about a famous courtesan, Violetta, who abandons her life of excitement and luxury for a quiet existence with her respectable lover.
Several raffle prizes will be drawn at the end of the event. The Franco Center is handicapped-accessible.
FMI, reservations: 207-783-1585, boxoffice@francocenter.org.
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