The recording that we will look at here is the EMI Live recording of the 1955 Visconti production of La Traviata at La Scala under the baton of Carlo Maria Giulini:
Violetta Valéry: Maria Callas
Alfredo Germont: Giuseppe Di Stefano
Giorgio Germont: Ettore Bastianini
This set was truly in many ways the culmination of artistic endeavor for Callas. She sang THE great role with THE great Italian team of Giulini and Visconti in possibly the single year where her voice and her artistry were most perfectly balanced. Her artistic equilibrium of sorts.
In this live recording from the Visconti's La Scala La Traviata on 28. May 1955, Callas truly shines. This is easily the best of her Traviatas for me. Even exceeding the ever so loved Lisbon production conducted by Ghione in 1958. Her voice is superb here. The few (very forgivable) minor pitch problems are easily made up for by her rich and flowing voice that seems to posess a new colour with every twist of the plot. One must truly appreciate her investment in the coloratura passages. She reveals notes and rhythms in "Sempre libera" that, from the way sopranos sing it these days, most people are completely unaware of.
It's no surprise that her characterization and involvement in the role are unmatchable even if one isn't a follower of her controversial instrument. This is made most clear to us in her heart-breaking "Addio del passato" and the duet scena with Bastianini as Germont. In the passionate aforementioned act II duet, her vulnerability and pride really get the best of her. Hardly anything could carry more sure and touching a conviction than her "oh come dolce mi suona i vostro accento". There are marvels in this scena with Germont. The desolate acknowledgement, "E ver" just seems to barley escape from her mouth and the moment of complete resignation with "dite alla giovine" leads organically into the desparate "Morro! la mia memoria" which has such force that one would think it should sink Papa Germont into the ground with his middle-class morality.
It seems as if no phrase of Callas's performance throughout the opera fails to warrant special comment. One more moment where we hear a true Milanese audience is in Act II when they obviously know best by breaking into applause while the action is still in motion. After Violetta's "amami, Alfredo" sung with such amazing sincerity that his reaction to the letter 3 minutes later seems not only unperceptive but downright asinine!
Bastianini, a legend among the Italian baritoni whose life ended tragically early, is often criticized for his disconnection from this performance. He comes off a bit wooden at times and seemingly uninvolved in the most dramatic moments. I fear that this is a flaw of the recording. That un-nameable quality that speaks to an audience that the recording just couldn't pick up. Anybody who was on the stage with Callas for more than 5 minutes would have to be relatively moved at some point and with that said, if there had been zero involvement in his character, how could Callas carry off such a moving and honest performance in the duets with such a brick wall. His insensitivity, however, is the only draw-back, he sings this with a true Verdian style that is not heard anymore, at La Scala or anywhere else for that matter. His all encompassing voice, so criticized here for its lack of nuance is reminiscent at times of the Great Tita Ruffo or Pasquale Amato, as opposed to the soaring voice of Giuseppe De Luca, who, in performance, seems to have emanated sheer pathos. While his acting here is no match for Callas or Di Stefano, he still holds his own in a way that few ever could or have.
Our last, but certainly not least, star of this performance is the great Giuseppe Di Stefano. He is all anyone could want in an Alfredo, a young romantic who never loses that masculine edge SO NEEDED in the end of the second act. Many can find criticism in his voice (which is still in good shape here, which we can't say on some recordings a few years later), but his vocal sacrifices are done in honour of the drama that Verdi was such a master of. His dramatic honesty and vulnerability were what made him a wonderful artist. A true singing actor. He and Callas seem to be perfectly suited to each other, it is no wonder they were so often cast together.
Throughout this piece we recognize that a masterful conductor is at work here.
Some may prefer Ghione's accompanimental style as heard on the Lisbon set, and perhaps may find fault with Giulini's tendancy toward slower, and sometimes almost sluggish tempi (as in "Un di felice"), but I find his empathy with the score much more enticing and involving.
One relatively large downside on this disc as opposed to the Lisbon recording is that the La Scala orchestra is recorded at a closer range and has a tendancy to lose clarity and texture and can become liable to distortion (as in the Act II party scene).
Despite the production's controversy (reminiscent of the premier in 1853), it survives with wonderful serenity. It emerges as a historic document of rare depth and beauty. It shines above all other recordings for its blatant spirit and heart, and because of Callas's intimate and selfless portrayal of this timeless character.
If you're only going to have ONE La Traviata (assuming that is possible), this is the one to have.
-Christopher Michael Kelley
