The scene ends with a concertato, a musical passage in which all the characters and the chorus sing at the same time. Victor Hugo envied Verdi’s ability to express the feelings of so many characters simultaneously through music, an option not available to a playwright. The ensemble begins with Germont’s denunciation of his son’s shameful behavior. His words would touch any father’s heart: Dov’è mio figlio? Piú non lo vedo. “Where is my son? I don’t see him any more.” Next comes Alfredo’s contrition and finally Violetta’s declaration of love for Alfredo. The voices of all the characters join in an octet with chorus, one of Verdi’s most effective concertati.

     The prelude to act three is one of Verdi’s masterpieces. It begins with the theme of illness, music that opened the opera. Now Verdi develops that theme into a haunting melody that depicts the final stages of Violetta’s disease. Like the other serious motives in the opera, this one descends, albeit irregularly, suggesting deepening despair. Music from the prelude reappears during the act.

     The last act starts at dawn on Shrove Tuesday. In 1847, the year of Duplessis’s death, that would have been February 16th. How much time has passed since the end of act two is not clear, but we must presume it has been something like six weeks, based on Violetta’s remark that she has waited and waited for Alfredo’s return.

     Violetta, near death, reads the letter Alfredo’s father has sent her. The words are: “You kept your promise. The duel took place. The baron was wounded but is recovering. Alfredo is abroad. I myself have told him of your sacrifice. He will come back to you begging your pardon. I, too, will come. Take care of yourself. You deserve a better future. Giorgio Germont.” She reads the letter in a speaking voice accompanied by a solo violin playing the love music in its original form—except that the melody does not end. We hear the flatted sixth and the words, È tardi! “It’s too late!”

     At the very end of the opera, when Violetta believes she feels her strength returning—a sign that death is imminent—the love music accompanies her joyful outcry.

     La Traviata is arguably Verdi’s most popular opera and probably the most frequently performed of his works. But it is monumentally difficult to sing. One tenor observed to me that most of Alfredo’s music is lyrical, but in act two, scene two, the score demands a dramatic tenor. And the role of Violetta will never be perfectly sung. It requires a different voice for each of its acts—coloratura in act one, dramatic in act two, and lyric in act three. Nevertheless, the opera is so effective on the stage that it can withstand flawed performance. It’s greatness shines through.