Carlos Kleiber was well-known for the speed of his baton, but he conducts this La Traviata as if he were trying to catch a train. It works quite well as a general approach, actually: the party scenes zip by in a frenzy and he doesn't let the stiller moments feel rushed. Adriana Maliponte is definitely what one refers to as an “Act III” Violetta, and she is clearly holding back her resources for the big death scene, ducking the high E-flat in ”Sempre libera” (to be fair, this may have been Kleiber's choice) but letting loose with a highly involved reading of Germont's letter. Her Alfredo, Benito Maresca, has a fine voice but sings as if he is waiting for the train Kleiber is racing to catch. Wolfgang Brendel is luckily on hand to give the evening some real A-list singing.