Sempre Libera - Traviata Contest - Ileana Cotrubas

I think we had so much fun with the Puritani contest, we should try out a differnt opera. This time I choose Verdi's La Traviata, and the aria is the final cabaletta in act I, Sempre Libera. I started each one right at the introduction to the cabaletta segment. I am sure I will hear about it from the masses! But once again since we are working with video material not every soprano can be included, some sopranos such as Sills and Gruberova have videos released on commercial dvd, therefore, I am not including them. I am going to follow tradition here and use a score of 1-5 for two catagories singing/characterization. Here are the singers I have included and the dates of the performances:
June Anderson - 2000
Joan Sutherland - 1975
Daniela Dessi - 1994
Ileana Cotrubas - 1981
Stefania Bondadelli - 2004
Cecilia Gasdia - 1986
Elena Mosuc - 2001
Darina Takova - 2001
Renata Scotto - 1973
Anna Netrebko - 2003
Mary Dunleavy - 2001
Nelly Miricioiu - 1993
Mariella Devia - 1999
Dimitra Theodossiou - 2000

Category:

Music

Tags:

• cotrubas
• opera
• verdi

[10000dresses]

One of the best Violettas!

[sagagossard]

Verdi never wrote an eb and a good interpretation is much more thab a higt note,you have a really poor and bad taste

[teatrumuzical]

DIVINA!!!

[CandyHaleLinton]

@BrunoLien I agree with you wholeheartedly. Cotrubas is an exceptionally gifted and lovely singer and this contest idea is utterly crass and, as you say, nothing to do with the concepts of artistic expression. Ghastly!

[musicalopera93]

she looks like gheorghui....

[operalover95]

The best Violetta!!

[johnnybouhaha]

I really love the way she sings Violetta and especially sempre libera, although here she was not in top form that's why she doesn't go for the eb and the C's are rather vulnerable. We should not judge her from this performance. Just listen to her sempre libera from the concert for Callas in 1983 from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and there you will see what a great Violetta she was. Even her way she sings "folleggiare" and "il viver mio" is unique because it is quasi parlato, so theatrical.

[Bquillamus]

The worst thing we can do is to judge Violetta's performance by this aria. It's an exception aria. The real drama is in the rest of the opera.

I don't like how Cotrubas sings this aria, but I love her when I hear the entire Opera.

[lifesize33]

l´audio é pessimo very bad sound

[ximenadore]

@sagagossard I totally agree!

[sorinion61]

Cotrubas is one of the most exulting Ladies of the Opera. Anyway, this rendition is not among the best recordings ( there are some approximations, some false notes and additional sounds which spoil the music)...But, on the other hand, we should understand an forgive all of this, because this is a version live and in a live version everything is possible even the worst failure. Anyway, after all, she remains one of the best voices and simply sticks to your heart from the first line of music.

[SandrineSoprano]

Quite the dramatist....