Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901):
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| Violetta Valéry | MARIA CALLAS |
| Alfredo Germont | GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO |
| Giorgio Germont | ETTORE BASTIANINI |
| Flora Bervoix | SILVANA ZANOLLI |
| Annina | LUISA MANDELLI |
| Gastone | GIUSEPPE ZAMPIERI |
| Il barone Douphol | ARTURO LA PORTA |
| Il marchese D’Obigny | ANTONIO ZERBINI |
| Il dottore Grenvil | SILVIO MAIONICA |
| Giuseppe | FRANCO RICCIARDI |
Introduction
Through various twists of fate, Maria Callas never made a studio recording of La traviata, one of her signature roles. This live version from La Scala in 1955 brings her together with a ‘dream team’ of Di Stefano, Bastianini and Giulini.
Synopsis
La traviata – the woman gone astray -- is more than one of the essential Romantic operas: it brought unprecedented social and psychological realism to the lyric stage. First performed in 1853, it is based on the play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils, whose work was inspired by his relationship with the Parisian courtesan, Marie Duplessis.
The opera tells the story of the tubercular Violetta Valéry, who falls in love with one of her admirers, Alfredo Germont. She leaves her frenetic and extravagant life in Paris to settle with him in the country, but her idyll is interrupted by Alfredo’s father, Giorgio. He forces her to renounce her love for the sake of the Germont family’s reputation, and in particular for Alfredo’s sister. As a consequence, she and Alfredo become estranged. By the time he returns to her, she is close to death.
While the most famous numbers in the endlessly melodic score come in Act 1 – the drinking song (‘Libiamo ne’ lieti calici’) and Violetta’s electrifying ‘Sempre libera’, the heart of the opera is the gripping, but intimate Act II confrontation in which Giorgio Germont breaks down Violetta’s resistance, even as he gains respect for her courage and dignity.
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Compact Disc 1 70.12 1 Preludio 4.27 ACT TWO
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Compact Disc 2 53.26 |
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