Marietta Piccolomini inexperience, critics praised her dramatic ability. Following her season in England, Picolomini sang in Dublin with great success. Piccolomini's appearance in Paris in "Traviata" on December 6, 1856, was the first time the opera had been heard in France. Verdi tried to stop the opera from being performed at Théâtre des Italiens owing to lack of copyright for his operas in France at the time, also supporting the claims of the French holder of the rights on Alexandre Dumas's "La Dame aux camélias" (whence the opera is drawn), but without success. Again, while critics remarked on the limitations of her
La traviata spring, but after "Rigoletto"s success in Venice, an additional commission was offered by Brenna, the secretary of La Fenice. After Verdi's return from Paris a contract was signed in May 1852, with performances scheduled for March 1853, although no subject was chosen at that time. Verdi sees "The Lady of the Camellias" play Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi had visited Paris from late 1851 and into March 1852. In February the couple attended a performance of Alexander Dumas "fils"s "The Lady of the Camellias". As a result of this, Verdi biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz reports, the composer immediately began to compose