With "La Traviata" (The Way of Abgekommene) entered Giuseppe Verdi both thematically and musically uncharted territory. To date his operas had generally played in the Middle Ages and antiquity, there were highly dramatic situations on human emotions, verabscheungswürdige Fieslinge and rousing choruses admire. 1853 was Verdi's position in the music business but already so well established that he could take on a subject that fascinated him for some time. Five years earlier he had learned the novel "La Dame aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas (son) know. He had set his book a former lover, the victim fell with 25 years of consumption courtesan Alphonsine Plessis, a monument. This most famous of all demimonde ladies who at the Paris celebrity - rests Père Lachaise Cemetery under a monumental tomb, leads since in Dumas' works under the name Marguérite Gauthier and of course in Verdi's Violetta Valéry, a well-eternal life. Verdi felt deeply touched by the fabric, reminiscent of his own private life. He lived for some time without being married with the singer Giuseppina that this had three illegitimate children. In strongly Catholic Italy this time and certainly in Verdi's small-town residence Busseto that was a veritable scandal, Giuseppina was cut by many guardians of bourgeois morality. This should have prompted Verdi to make Violetta Valéry to one of his most charming and warmest stage characters. For a limited time, at the beginning of the first act and in the bravura aria "Sempre libera" occurs a glamorous, aloof and frigid courtesan contrary, after the "Traviata" converts to sincerely loving woman who favor their Alfredo even to the love of her wants to give life and finally in Alfredo's arms breathes her life to a supernaturally beautiful melody. Verdi took him to this new subject a rather atypical for him music. Instead of rousing tunes (which of course there are, just think of the famous "Brindisi") you can hear the whole work through a liquid conversational style, the musical language is more sensitive, more intimate than in the great heroic opera. The love duet between Violetta and Alfredo, and the long passage Violetta - Germont are prime examples of completely thought out musical courses of action. A Richard Wagner would not have done that better. Immediately after the premiere of "Trovatore" Verdi went to the composition, it took him just 45 days to set "La Traviata" completely in music. On March 6, 1853 work was first performed at the Teatro Fenice in Venice and fell completely. The main reason for the failure is likely to fill the Violetta with a corpulent soprano have been, apparently enjoyed a very robust health and whose death caused by emaciation tumultuous merriment. Also required by the censorship laying of action to pre-revolutionary France played a role. A year later, the miscarriage of justice has been corrected, the new production at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice came to sensational success since is "La Traviata" indispensable from the operatic stage. Even the film director Luchino Visconti made his presentation at the start of Scala - 1955 season everything right. To experiment instead of the external characteristics, he presented a conservative in the best sense "Traviata" on the stage for three weeks took (one for conditions at that time unheard long rehearsal period) to allow the singer to empathize with their roles. This came mainly in Giuseppe di Stefano incomprehension that always willing to learn Maria Callas contrast threw himself full force into the rehearsal process with the result that she managed a complete, standards-setting for this role portrayal. Your Violetta was the touchstone and almost unattainable benchmark for future performers, at the end of the evening it was the audience's feet. Vocally there was the Callas in 1955 in any case at the peak, no sharp sound, no unclean vocal slips her out. The love duet with di Stefano, the coloratura - aria "Sempre libera", which they crowned with a not prescribed, but knotless high D, their overall performance in the second act, the aria "Addio del passato" and the harrowing death scene titles irretrievable vocal art at the highest level. As that would not be enough, they dispense with any striking effect in the presentation. Not for nothing was one of the "Traviata", next to "Norma", "Tosca", "Lucia" and "Medea" to their signature roles. Violetta Valéry is passed into her flesh and blood, never has to listen to the feeling of internally uninvolved prima donna Maria Callas lived her role with the final analysis. Such a fusion of first-class singer and excellent actress is extremely rare and is perhaps all one hundred to two hundred years occurring godsend. If there were only this one of the Callas recording, ipso facto would fully justified their status as "prima donna assoluta". Enough praises Callas, there are other reasons why the acquisition of this recording is worthwhile. Let us begin to call Giuseppe di Stefano as Alfredo. The thought not much of psychological research role, did not see a, is why to ask a singer more than singing and doing this setting by persistent absenteeism from the samples known. In his defense it must be said that the Alfredo a somewhat flatter character, the opera is tailored entirely to the lead actress anyway. Di Stefano gets here but for the optimum for his voice commanded game. Alfredo is ideal for his wonderful bel canto - Tenor, he should not constantly shine with high notes, which was not his strong point, but can sing a stringent melody line in the middle range. He has his best moments in Love - duet with Callas and in his (unfortunately abbreviated) aria "De 'miei bollenti spiriti", whereas his outburst of hatred seems a bit exaggerated in Act 3. A great actor, he was now not. A third big selling point of this recording is the father of Ettore Bastianini Germont. Even that was not necessarily a gifted when it comes to credible representation, but he had to show by far the most beautiful baritone of his time. The great 2nd Act is to a large extent on his account, he crowned his performance with a "Di Provenza il mar, il sol", which I've heard better by any other Germont and thus tearing the already permanent enthusiastic audience to another ovation storm out. Thus, this would be the reference - "Traviata", there were not also some downsides. First of all, the acting otherwise without blemish conductor Carlo Maria Giulini gets the Chaos army that calls itself "Orchestra del Teattro alla Scala", in the course of the 1st act under control, the wonderful prelude device temporarily painful wrong. Also the chorus is anything but certain, the first scene is threatening to fall apart, to have finally found all of their line the "Brindisi". From this point it is a guaranteed unforgettable evening at the opera. Also recording devices were used for the recording of the presentation, which had probably been around for Caruso and Gigli hours in use, the sound is dull and very bumpy part. EMI - producer Walter Legge cooked understandably years later with anger about the sloppiness, after all, you were recording technology in the early 50s in Salzburg and Bayreuth already a few steps further. Much has been done to improve this unique "Traviata" sound, so you get with this issue the best restored sound version, one from a master tape in Bootleg - can expect quality. Still you have to save on the first two numbers (prelude and opening chorus) and suppress the impulse to rip the CD from the system and to throw out the window. What comes after that, there will be so never again. Fans technically high-class recordings are hereby have little joy for the friend highest vocal art and of course for the "Call Asianer" this recording is absolutely indispensable.
