I am not a natural opera fan and have seldom before ventured much beyond the comfort blanket of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro.

So it was with some trepidation that I approached La Traviata at the Marlowe, seduced into going only because it was being performed by the Glyndebourne touring company and I still harbour happy memories of Champagne picnics at that lovely venue.

I needn't have worried.

The show was a hit with singing to knock your socks off, especially from the lead soprano Mane Galoyan who was seldom off-stage.

For those who don't know, the plot is a somewhat familiar one of passionate romance poisoned by misunderstandings and jealousy.

Violetta is a sophisticated Parisian cortesan. Alfredo an unsophisticated youth from the provinces. They fall in love and Violetta seizes the chance to start a new life in the country, but Alfredo's father, concerned for the family's honour, intervenes.

There are moments of great joy and exuberance, typified by the society party scenes and the popular drinking song Brindisi, but unfortunately rather more moments of sadness, as Violetta, who is fatally ill, contemplates her death without the chance to see Alfredo again.

Verdi intended the opera to be a commentary on the social mores of his time, but very little seems to have changed in that regard since he wrote it in 1853. The timelessness of the story is emphasised by the rather minimal sets and costumes which seem to place the tale in the salons of the 1930s rather than the glamorous ballrooms of the 19th century

Miss Galoyan is allegedly a new performer, but clearly destined for great heights. She perfectly captures Violetta’s devil-may-care appetite for life - and her frailty. Tenor Luis Gomes is excellent as Alfredo, capturing in expression and voice both the all-consuming passion and the piqued jealously of young love.

If you are unfamiliar with La Traviata, you will need to brace yourself for the final act.

For all his apparent scorn of polite society (Verdi apparently wrote the opera after the exposure of his own extra-marital affair engrossed him in scandal), it seems the composer could not break with tradition enough to allow The Fallen Woman (La Traviata) to live happily ever after. Violetta dies from consumption, presumably God's payback for her louche lifestyle. A Hollywood finale it's not.

Sung in Italian with English super-titles.

La Traviata is at The Marlowe again this Friday, November 9.
Tickets here.