“The whole experience of Traviata was prolonged for me even after the opera ended. I reflected on my life and on society and my position in society. I asked myself if I also had the emptiness of Violetta. And then I met my sister and thought about the relationship with her and my family. It brought our deep thoughts about life in this materialistic world. Emptiness cannot be filled with riches. After watching Violetta I changed the way I interact with others.”

“We live in a busy city, everyone is working independently with little interaction but with this opera we can understand that love can be selfless. I am reminded to give more love and tolerance to others. The language doesn’t matter because you can feel the story through the music. You can feel her happiness and her sadness. It relates to my experience with my parents always wanted to know who I was dating. The music strongly influenced my emotions in a very deep way. I can feel Violetta’s love in her singing, a great feeling for me.”

“Violetta’s sacrifice is higher than her social status, in fact she had a spirit and courage that the upper class may not have. The opera resonated with me. People in Hong Kong are materialist, living only for the moment. The opera has a message for us all, what is spiritual support? Can riches fill the hole? Hong Kong people need to think that love is what we need. In fact all over the world the need is the same. Violetta sacrifices herself because of love; this is the beauty of tragedy.”

“I was really moved by the opera. I had read the story “The Lady of the Camelias” but when I saw the opera I could feel the inner struggle of the characters; I could plunge myself into the world of Violetta and let the music move me. People from all countries could receive the message of Traviata, to make a higher order of choice. People in Hong Kong are so materialistic and rarely think that they could make this higher choice and think how they could face society. What is the path to achieve their dreams?”

“I had always thought of opera as something expensive and high art but this DVD presentation has changed my mind. I saw parents bringing their children! It is good entertainment, just another choice. As Violetta wakes up to love she realizes that going to party every night and sinking herself in the material world is not all. It’s the same in Hong Kong but are people really happy? Can they find the true value in their life? I think it’s a good wake up call for the people of Hong Kong to think whether or not money is the most important thing in life.”

“This opera reflects human nature. Arts can play the role of bringing up discussion, recognizing what is the most important value in life. Everyone in Hong Kong speaks of core values but what is that actual value? Seeing opera and this opera in particular, can encourage people to reflect.”