“Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” (Brindisi) from La Traviata (1853)

On the whole, it would have been better if Alfredo Germont, the son of a very respectable family in Provence, had not fallen for the beautiful Parisian courtesan Violetta Valéry. One has little choice in these matters, however. So, having loved her from afar and now enjoying himself as a guest at a party in her house, he at last finds an opportunity to shine in her eyes. She calls for a toast and he duly obliges with an exuberantly tuneful brindisi (or drinking song). In praise of love as much as wine, “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” marks the intoxicating beginning of Alfredo and Violetta’s ultimately tragic relationship.