Verdi: La traviata > Reviews > TRAVIATA CALLAS GHIONE REVIEW

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Callas at her best, stylish Alredo Kraus, Mario Sereni brilliant
Disadvantages:	Rough sound, better version on Pearl label

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

VERDI - LA TRAVIATA - GHIONE EMI (LIVE RECORDING)
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La Traviata is an opera about a socialite called Violetta who discovers love in the form of the tenor Alfredo who she originally rejects. They fall in love and live together. Alfredo's father visits her. Violetta is eventually persuaded to leave Alfredo so that his family name is not tarnished (threatening the future marriage of Alfredo's sister). Alfredo hates Violetta for this (he doesn't know of her promise with his father) and shames her in front of her friends. Violetta has TB and is dying. Alfredo comes to her and their love is rekindled just in time for her to die, the promise of future happiness coming to nothing.
This recording is very good. Callas is brilliant as Violetta, perhaps even better than with Giulini in 1955. She seems fully aware of the dramatic possibilities the role offers. She is not in as good voice as in 1955 but she has really gotten into the role. Compare the confident voice she uses early on when she says that she does not need love and commitment and then later, her portrayal as the broken Violetta that sings "Ah dite alla giovine" - astonishing singing.The baritone Mario Sereni is underrated and 100% more subtle and sensitive than Ettore Bastianini in '55 although the other baritone has a voice which is probably the more beautiful. Sereni is at his very best in "Di prozenza il mar il suol" and "Di sprezzo degno" Kraus is very popular, personally I slightly prefer Giuseppe di Stefano with Giulini, but Kraus is the more subtle artist. Compare Kraus singing in "un di feliece eterea" with Di Stefano two years earlier. In '55 Di Stefano is more exciting, more extrovert and with less shading and pianissimo (soft singing). He is an ardent Alfredo. Then listen again to Alfredo Kraus. He may seem a little tame in comparison but the shapely phrasing and easy high notes are their own advocate. He is way better here than when he came to record the role c1980 with Renata Scotto who has even more wiry high notes than Callas does here. Kraus is at his best in the last act duet with Callas and in his scene "Ogni suo aver tal femmina". The sound of this recording appears to have annoyed some people reading some of the reviews on amazon. By live standards it is really not bad at all but is seriously inferior to a studio recording if you do not like background noise etc. It instead captures some of the excitement of a live performance. I have several live recordings by Callas, her Medea with Bernstein and her earlier Traviata with Giulini, and do not find the sound here that bad in comparison. The transfer available through Pearl is of a finer overall standard and buyers would find it worthwhile to search that record on amazon or ciao.
If sound quality is a priority, however, I would say her studio recording in mono, or, for stereo, the Kleiber Traviata with Cotrubas seem to be the best bets. (The studio Callas set has just came out under the 'Naxos' label at bargain price). NB The callas studio set is not in the same league as this recording re Callas and the rest of the cast are pretty bad - best to listen to samples on amazon etc first before buying (Callas is still very good there but if you can live with the sound this set is way better)

TRACKLIST
Disc: 1
1. La Traviata: preludio
2. La Traviata: dell'invito trascorsa e gia l'ora
3. La Traviata: libiamo, ne' lieti calici
4. La Traviata: che e cio?
5. La Traviata: un di felice, eterea
6. La Traviata: ebben? che diavol fate?
7. La Traviata: si ridesta in ciel l'aurora
8. La Traviata: e strano! e strano!
9. La Traviata: ah, fors'e lui che l'anima
10. La Traviata: follie! follie! delirio vano e questo!
11. La Traviata: sempre libera
12. La Traviata: lunge da lei
13. La Traviata: de' miei bollenti spiriti
14. La Traviata: annina, donde vieni?...alfredo?...per parigi or or partiva
15. La Traviata: pura siccome un angelo
16. La Traviata: non sapete quale affetto
17. La Traviata: un di, quando le veneri
18. La Traviata: ah! dite alla giovine
19. La Traviata: imponete...non amarlo ditegli
20. La Traviata: morro! la mia memoria
21. La Traviata: dammi tu forza, o cielo!
22. La Traviata: che fai?...nulla
23. La Traviata: ah, vive sol quel core all'amor mio!
24. La Traviata: di provenza il mar
Disc: 2
1. La Traviata: avram lieta di maschere la notte
2. La Traviata: noi siamo zingarelle
3. La Traviata: di madride noi siam mattadori
4. La Traviata: alfredo! voi!
5. La Traviata: invitato a qui seguirmi
6. La Traviata: ogni suo aver tal femmina
7. La Traviata: di sprezzo degno se stesso rende
8. La Traviata: alfredo, alfredo, di questo core
9. La Traviata: preludio
10. La Traviata: annina?...comandate?
11. La Traviata: teneste la promessa
12. La Traviata: addio, del passato
13. La Traviata: largo al quadrupede
14. La Traviata: signora!...che t'accadde?
15. La Traviata: parigi, o cara
16. La Traviata: ah, non piu, a un tempio
17. La Traviata: ah! gran dio! morir si giovine
18. La Traviata: ah, violetta!...voi, signor!
19. La Traviata: prendi, quest'e l'immagine
20. La Traviata: se una pudica vergine