Recommended Recordings
Compiled by Peter Russell
As is the case with Bohème, there are numerous recordings to choose from. I personally feel precisely the same way about Arturo Toscanini's 1946 classic recording (currently unavailable) as I do about his Bohème (see Recommended Recordings of Bohème ), but many swear by it; it features the same leading lady and tenor as his recording of the Puccini opera.
Of the two recordings on Decca that feature Dame Joan Sutherland, both are fairly bland to my taste, but her first recording, dating to 1962, is undeniably very well sung, and decently conducted by the late Sir John Pritchard. The 1971 EMI recording featuring Beverly Sills is not to my taste for different reasons: I find Sills, as is so often the case, less satisfying vocally on recordings than she was ?live,? and the conducting of Aldo Ceccato is heavy-handed.
One of the best-conducted Traviata's on disc also features a terrific cast: Carlos Kleiber's 1977 rendition for Deutsche Grammophon starring Ileana Cotrubas, Placido Domingo, and Sherrill Milnes. Similarly compelling, and equally well-sung, is Decca's 1995 release, based on live performances at Covent Garden, led by Sir Georg Solti, and featuring Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo, and Leo Nucci.
As an interesting alternative, especially given the bargain prices at which they frequently can be bought, are two different EMI reissues of live recordings starring Maria Callas as Violetta, both of which circulated as ?pirates? in the operatic underground among fans until copyright laws allowed them to be legally released. Both originated as AM radio broadcasts in the 1950's, and both are in flawed sound, but both fairly burst with intense drama. The first marked the opening night of a legendary La Scala production in 1955, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini, and with the peerless Giuseppe di Stefano and Ettore Bastianini as Alfredo and Germont, respectively. The second was recorded in Lisbon in 1958, with Franco Ghione at the helm and Alfredo Kraus and Mario Sereni as Callas' partners. Terrence McNally wrote a drama, The Lisbon Traviata , that used this legendary recording as an inspiration.
Worth searching out, especially if they return to the recording catalogue, are three other alternatives: a 1960 version that originated on RCA, featuring the pastel-pretty Violetta of Anna Moffo, solidly supported by Richard Tucker and Robert Merrill; a later RCA release, eccentrically conducted by Georges Prêtre, but elegantly sung by Montserrat Caballé, Carlo Bergonzi, and Sherrill Milnes; and a 1973 recording conducted by Lamberto Gardelli, with Mirella Freni, Franco Bonisolli, and Sesto Bruscantini as the stars.
Among videos, my first choice would be the DVD of the Covent Garden performance that also spawned a CD listed above: the 1995 production by Richard Eyre with Gheorghiu, Lopardo, and Nucci, conducted by Solti. Many admire the lushness of Franco Zeffirelli's film made for commercial release in 1982. I personally find it to be over the top, and have a difficult time listening to Teresa Stratas, in poor voice as Violetta, on the soundtrack. I likewise cannot get past the excruciatingly bad singing of the Violetta and Germont on the 1993 video from La Scala: a pity, because film director Liliana Cavani ( The Night Porter ) created a wonderful staging, and Riccardo Muti conducts strongly. Neither the film starring Anna Moffo from the 1960's, which is only of interest for camp entertainment value, nor the video starring Beverly Sills from the 1970's need detain us.
Currently out of the catalogue, an intimate 1987 film of a Glyndebourne production directed by Sir Peter Hall is nonetheless very interesting. It lacks vocal glamour, but is both thoughtful and deeply moving, with Marie McLaughlin, Walter MacNeil, and Brent Ellis all contributing worthy performances.
Note: Concerning these recommendations for audio and video recordings, especially regarding audio recordings, it is critical to bear in mind that recordings go in and out of print constantly. If a recording is described herein as ?currently out of print,? it may again be available within the coming year, so it is always worthwhile to seek things out.
