Live 1958 Covent Garden Traviata

[Ariadne7710]

It is absolutely true!!!! When she just started the Oooooo dite alla giovine.... we all held our breath. The silence was eerie. Her voice sounded unearthly. It was heartbreaking...... I was actually there. There is no other Traviata like it.

[abracadabranque]

Le ténoryton chante bien mais il ne fait pas son âge!Quand à Callas,toujours prenante et belle.Je sais ,je suis de parti-pris;mais on pardonne tout pour un instant sublime.

[anubi856]

bellissimo :D

[leonardovittori1]

Fabulous.. a nearly perfect violetta.. wow. I am always so impressed with the incredible attention to every detail, she brings to opera, along with musical instincts that are like NO other.

[saagua1953]

You need to compare this with the Ponselle/Tibbet version.

[ditogam]

@saagua1953 I have listened that and have complete recording, from 1934 Met, magnificent and amazing. But why need cooperation, you have to enjoy, they all are truly UNIQUE artists.

[billyflynn2]

As earlier said, imagine being there...

[motardbear15]

The one who wrote : quite lovely is jocking I suppose !!! Never ! Never ! I have heard dite alla giovane so moving ! It is nearly unbelievible !!! It is not a voice it is an anima

[striker9410]

Callas- The greatest soprano Sfogato of all time!!!

[rerigras12]

Just imagine being there and hearing this.

[rerigras12]

Incredible!

[cleanears]

Zanasi simply had a bright voice, but he was a good singer. He did NOT try to darken his voice to fake a colour! I saw him in "Nabucco" in Rome with Suliotis and perhaps in Caracalla as Amonasro or Conte di Luna. It was the real thing. I wish we had someone like him around today!

[kgarmaker123]

I agree, he is a very fine lyric baritone.. very pretty voice , beautiful and nuanced portrayal.

[dermotafan]

@cleanears I agree, Zanassi was a great SINGER.

[lamusicahera]

Amazing...

This is for me one of the best Violettas ever...

pure and honest drama in her voice

BRAVA!

[mtnmanjt]

sii468 HA! HA! The only pathos would be you, when I hold you down on the ground, and rub fresh dog-shit into your mouth.

[doremicde]

Shut up!! She was all!!!! Not a mezzo a soprano or something else, she was all

[Faust075]

Sublime come sempre....

Canta con gli angeli...

Grazie Maria. Ti amiamo.

[demondiva77]

OMG i had tears in my eyes!!! THX for uoloading this most beautiful piece!!

[rawdonqueen]

I am not a fan of most of Callas' later performances, but this one is quite lovely.

[biggervarenne]

emozionante

[UranusRising]

It is so refreshing to hear a Germont who's not borderline out of tune with a wobble a mile-wide. Unfortunately, I hear more raddegy Germonts than good ones. I realize that it's one of those roles that you don't want to sing when you're too young, but it's no excuse.

[zamyrabyrd]

Yes, but he's sharp in quite a few places. Cornell MacNeil (w Stratas & Domingo) is the best Germont IMO who actually sings a legato.

[Vairguy09]

He sounds too young for my taste, or more like a tenor than a baritone.

[qbendanny1]

She commands her vocal chords to express what she feels, and she felt more than anyone.Period.

[antoniobasto]

Magnificent!

[cesaredmondi]

trata de poner un mejor video

[jimthewriter]

Stunningly beautiful and moving. Callas was the supreme singer/actress. Brava Maria!

[Tsaraslondon]

I believe this to be the very best of Callas's recorded Violettas. The 1955 La Scala performance suffers from Bastianini's gloriously sung, but unrelentingly forte Germont. Here Callas is helped immeasurably by Zanasi's beautifully inflected and sympathetically sung Germont. Valetti, the Alfredo at this performance was even better than Kraus. For me this ranks as highly as the Berlin Lucia and the La Scala Norma of 1955.

[carlissima28]

bravissimaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

[utineke]

Can anyone pls. tell me when tis was recorded?I very much would like to find this version,breathtaking,marvelous­!!

[operADB]

It was June 20, 1958.

[donquisirob]

la più grande di tutti.. un miracolo PF

[godlovesyou333]

Maria, the best there ever was or will be.

[operadoc]

this is an amazing rendition of one of the most powerful scenes in all of opera

[pasfresh123]

this Germont probably sounded younger than his son.

[00ceroalaizquierda00]

Wooooooooow brava callas!!!! ......^_^

[Glenmed]

Astounding! Every nuance is conveyed. Schwarzkopf had explained some years earlier why she would not perform Traviata again. She had seen the real Violetta and knew at once that she could not compare. I have her recording with Panerai as Georgio. It is good ... but this is something else!!!

[jjcbss]

I have (a really bad recording) of the 58, and the 1955 London recording, but this is just amazing! I really ought to find a copy of this. Callas is the best!!

[lochness11]

"and this is even better in all respects".I was referring in particular to Callas and the recording quality.

[lochness11]

The Traviata excerpt is absolutely,wonderful. I have the CD of the Lisbon performance a few weeks earlier(I think it is), and this is even better in all respects.

[zovirotto]

my best opera ... my favorite scene!!! Bravo CALLAS!

[qww122]

What a wonderful performance! It made me cry.....

[dugbin]

Yes, this definitely takes the cake. Her interpretation, her emotions; even if you don't hear her you can feel her emotion as she sings with her crystalline voice! Brava, Callas!

[VivaMariaCallas]

I have read that the Covent Garden Traviata was her most touching. Based on this, I perfectly understand why. The subtelty, the colours, & the feeling is, in my mind, simply unparalleled. Her 'bella e- pura' freezes time like no other.

[dural]

In an interview she said she learned that "e-pura" with Serafin. She told it was like if Violete couldn´t say that word. Unique.

[operADB]

Yes, and I think the slight hesitancy was quite effective. Serafin was a master and he taught her well.

[sevoflurane]

I just adore that subtlety! She conveys Violetta's conflicts in a word. Fabulous Maria!

[DoryViolet]

It's true. That e-pura makes me cry, it's sooo unique. Serafin taught her a breathtaking strategy!

[Faust075]

Serafin didn't teach her any strategy. SHE was born that way !

[DoryViolet]

XDXD oh well...... anyway, it IS breathtaking!!!

[Vairguy09]

All singers are born that way, but many conductors like Serafin DO mold singers into world class singers. Meneghini also helped her in that way.

[kgarmaker123]

Tell me Sutherland was this good in this role... or in any role.. She was a fine vocalizer, but she was not an artist like Callas.