Soloists - VERDI: La Traviata

Giuseppe Verdi(1813 - 1901)La Traviata An opera inthree acts, to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, after Alexandre Dumas fils'playLa Dame auxcamelias It is surprisingnow to reflect that, at its premiere at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1853, La traviata was such a dismalfailure. With many operatic successes behind him, Verdi must have been appalledat the chaos of the first performance. True, the opera had been composed inconsiderable haste - certainly not detectable from the melodic and dramaticqualities of its music - but it was perhaps rather the unsuitable cast that ledto disaster. The Violetta was clearly far from a wasting consumptive andGermont pere, a much admired baritone in earlier days, had simplyallowed his career to go on too long; surely not the first and certainly notthe last singer to do that. Happily the castof this recording differs entirely from those predecessors, for here is a performancein which the three principals are all convincingly at the peak of their vocalpowers. Many of the qualities that made each so successful are captured here,enabling the 'long-distance listener' to hear, over fifty years later, whatmade them remarkable and popular in these roles. We are fortunatethat, by chance, Eleanor Steber sang this performance, for she replaced acolleague who was indisposed; thus has survived her complete recording of thistaxing part. She was not unfamiliar with Violetta, which she first sang at theMet in 1943, and despite the circumstances of her unexpected appearance, shebrings a freshness that is not evident in all performances of the opera. It issometimes (cynically) said that the role really needs three sopranos for agreat production; a coloratura to cope with the florid brilliance at the closeof the first act, a dramatic soprano for the scenes with Germont pereand fils in the second and a great lyrical singer to convey the pathosof Act 3. Steber brings something of all these to her performance. Whilst notusually considered a coloratura, she handles the first act scena withaplomb and brings a real sense of excitement and anticipation. Perhaps wiselyshe avoids the high option on the final note, and none the worse for that. Theconfrontations of the second act create the tension that is vital for asuccessful Traviata; no great histrionics but the deeply felt pain ofsacrifice and rejection. Her Scene 2 duet with Alfredo brims with urgentpleading and in Act 3 the reading of the letter and its ensuing aria capturethe despair of her loneliness. This is a very full interpretation and Steber triumphsas this most testing of Verdi's heroines. Giuseppe DiStefano possessed one of the most exciting and 'natural' tenor voices of thetwentieth century, and it is his forthright ardour that is on show in thisperformance. Impetuosity is also around, for he not only pours out passion, butsometimes neglects the niceties of musical accuracy; a 'live' recording this, andno chance of re-takes. But hear him in his