Customer Reviews

Verdi: La Traviata

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For those of us of a certain age, this performance needs no recommendation. It was universally considered THE PERFORMANCE. The only thing we are interested in is the sound. Personally, I have at least two other recordings of this performance and the sound is wretched and I really did not expect too much from this edition. The sound is not great but vastly improved.It resembles a fairly decent early LP. You can actually hear individual instruments in the orchestra and the voices come through clearly.
But for those who are new to this performance, you are in for a real theatrical experience, and that is the principal value of this performance. There are around three or four other performance of Maria Callas as Violetta, and, in my view, two of them are really wonderful (One with Alfredo Kraus and one from London). Similarly, there are a number of other performance with Di Stefano and Bastianini (sic?), but this La Scala performance under the musical guidance of Guilini and the production expertise of Luciano Visconti is a real magical theatrical experience.
All of the performers are thrillingly alive to both the drama and the musical qualities of this really wonderful opera. Callas expert, John Ardoin wrote that if he could have only one recording of Callas, it would be her "Lucia" with Karajan, but I'm sure this "Traviata" would be next. Don't expect great sound but it is a once in a life time performance.