La Traviata - Paris

Simon Stone stages Verdi's La Traviata as a contemporary evening at the Opéra Garnier, recasting the familiar romance into a present-day social scene. Violetta and Alfredo, played by Pretty Yende and Benjamin Bernheim, move through late-night parties, message threads and notification sounds that punctuate intimate moments and public spectacles. The music remains central, conducted by Michele Mariotti with the Paris National Opera Orchestra, while staging injects smartphones, texts and modern party culture into arias and confrontations. The film keeps the core love story intact, focusing on emotion and performance without revealing any plot surprises.

Released in 2019, this filmed version marks Simon Stone's stage directing debut at the Opéra Garnier, adapting Verdi's opera for a modern audience. It features Pretty Yende and Benjamin Bernheim in the lead roles, with Michele Mariotti conducting the Paris National Opera Orchestra.

There are no widely reported major awards or Oscar nominations connected to this filmed staging. Any festival screenings or theatrical presentations drew attention for the production choices rather than prize season headlines.

The production sparked conversation by transplanting operatic drama into the language of social media. Visual touches like message overlays, party choreography and the constant buzz of phones made certain scenes feel unmistakably of the digital age, prompting discussions about how classical works can reflect contemporary habits without changing their musical core.

The film emphasizes themes of visibility, reputation and the contrast between public persona and private feeling. It asks how love holds up under constant connectivity and spectacle, and it leans into moments of humor alongside melancholic passages. The result is an opera presentation that aims to make Verdi's emotional stakes readable to viewers used to scrollable lives, while preserving the score and vocal performances that drive the story.