Verdi: La Traviata - Freni, Cioni, Sereni, Zaccaria; Karajan. Milano, 1964
$16.95
Description:
Mirella Freni’s Violetta suffered at La Scala from unfair comparisons to Maria Callas which may have discouraged her from attempting the part in other theaters. It is a shame because even though hers may not have been a conventional Violetta, her take on the character is quite valid. Her Violetta is not as hardened and cynical as one has come to expect in this role. For example, even while she rebuffs Alfredo’s advances in Act I, she cannot help but betray an optimism that seems intriguingly incongruous coming from a courtesan. And if ”Sempre libera” isn’t as show stopping as it could be, she makes up for it with a deeply felt reading of ”Addio del passato”. Renato Cioni’s Alfredo is somewhat of a non-entity and Mario Sereni lends his attractive baritone to Germont. The sound is very good.
OD 11291-2
Listen to a Sample:
Absolutely phenomenal performance
I'll start by saying the recording quality of this performance could be better. And worse, it's somewhat oversaturated. That said, I consider this a performance of a lifetime. It's true it's marred by oversaturation of the microphones. I don't know if this was a 'house' recording—ie, bootleg. Or just a bad recording 'engineer.' Nevertheless it is worth having for the performance. The 1960s were also the best years of Karajan's conducting too. By the way, this is rated four stars because of the poor recording quality only.
Good Performance, So-so Sound
What we have here is the dress rehearsal of the production that caused so much controversy at the time. Karajan's reign at La Scala was hectic and Freni got caught in the middle of the fracas. The opening night was notorious for its catcalls and booing. None of that is heard here. We don't even hear an audience applauding until the Flora scene (Act 2, scene 2). This was recorded from the audience. The singers are audible, but are occasionally drowned out by the orchestra, especially during climactic moments. You sometimes have to take it on faith that they are singing! Freni is a lovely, vulnerable Violetta. If her "Sempre libera" isn't the most brilliant, it's certainly acceptable. The rest of her singing is truly beautiful. Cioni knows his way around Alfredo and sings very well. Sereni, with his distinctive voice, is easy to take for granted. It's not surprising that he made so many records. The rest of the cast is excellent. Karajan conducts the preludes with great detail and precision. He sometimes takes tempos that are on the slow side for no discernible reason, causing his singers to struggle a bit. If you want Freni as Violetta, she is shown to better effect in other performances. Opera Depot has one conducted by Giulini that is preferable.
