La Traviata: Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici

Cassidy Williams, Undecided, CC ‘23

Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata, “Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici”

The first time I heard this piece was when I went to the opera last week, so immediately the extravagant costumes and sets were associated with the music. The triple meter and repetition of the quick melody is reminiscent of a waltz, which makes sense because the libretto talks about a drinking party. It is extremely lively and upbeat. The song is also a duet between a man and a woman with a large background chorus. This reminded me of an ice skating pair. Much like the circular essence of the repetitive melody and triple meter, the pair rapidly circles the ice rink. In the background, like the chorus, the crowd outnumbers and surrounds the pair.  The striking higher notes in the piece evoke a climax, with a long build up in the opera. These climaxes are reminiscent of the difficult jumps and special technical moves in the ice skating routine. The contour is wavelike and the song almost sounds bouncy, going up and down quickly which reminded me of the quick movements we can see in the ice skating. The music seems as if it is chasing after itself, each note is quickly followed by the other, just as the ice skaters mimic each other and support each other. They are rarely far apart. In the ending of the ice skating scene, the man holds the woman and she spins around him, following the music towards the end of the song that repeats and builds until it reaches the end.