In particular, we know quite a bit about the Germont family. M. Germont lost most of his social standing and small fortune after Alfredo’s duel. He, his wife and youngest daughter (Louise) moved to Paris, where he remained to the end a bitter and outspoken critic of Parisian society. His heart gave up soon after Louise left the home without the blessing of a marriage.

Alfredo never changed his impulsive and romantic ways. He became a poet (under the nom-de-plume Rodolfo) and is known to have shared quarters for some time in the Left Bank with the painter Marcello. He was never fortunate in love. Violetta was only the first of his loves to die of TB. Some say that he came across Baron Douphol at some cafe one Christmas Eve but don’t know whether they recognized each other. Some say that he may have even stuck the Baron with the bill. But this is all hearsay.

The entire family appears to have been afflicted by the curses of uninhibited romanticism. A grand-uncle of M. Germont is said to have ruined himself over a loose woman ending up his days somewhere in Louisiana. And one of Alfredo’s cousins or brothers – also a poet – is rumored to have committed suicide in Germany over the love of a married woman.

We understand that Flora also crossed the ocean and became a business woman in Atlanta, where she was known as Belle Watson.

As for Annina herself, she lived a long life along the Seine under the soubriquette of La Frugola. I think that she married the servant that says La cenna e pronta at Flora’s party but I can’t swear to it.

http://tinyurl.com/yznppet

Obviously we were not listening to the same broadcast! I thought it was quite enjoyable. And what in your estimation are the dozen “REAL” traviatas that should be gotten out? I’d be curious to see how many of them are still alive/singing today.

Before the high C I was going: “don’t do it JV, don’t do it; Angela didn’t do hers; you don’t have to do it, doesn’t sound like it’s there”…….and he tried it and it Was there, not wonderful, and short but it didn’t crack. I still think he shouldn’t have done it. I have heard him crack 2 or 3 high notes – they’ve been very brief ‘interruptions of tone’ at the beginning and then the note is there sometimes followed by a dimenuendo which doesn’t indicate lack of support, does it? Someone described him as fragile – I think that is descriptive and he’s a lot less that than he used to be. Sometimes it sounds unsupported – I couldn’t say if that is true or not but it does sound fragile, kind of wavery. Aragall sounded that way to me at times.

All that said, though there have been many fine Violettas, one -- for me -- stands above all others, if for nothing else but this (most especially, for the emphasis on “quanto” rather than “t’amo”):