Violetta a courtesan much wooed by Parisian society organizes a grand party that is attended amongst others by the young Alfredo Germont He confesses his feelings to Violetta who is already suffering from consumption She vacillates between genuine affection and a realistic assessment of her situation as a fallen woman which precludes any lasting relationship with a man The Franco Zeffirelli production of LA TRAVIATA recorded live at the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi Februari 2002