Excellent performance. Great sound. A must-have for Sylvia Sass' fans. A disturbing cough during final act but don't forget that this is a live recording.

This performance may be the only extant Violetta of Sylvia Sass. The Hungarian soprano is in excellent voice and is clearly living every moment of the role. Her Act One coloratura is fluent enough and she certainly has all the notes (no, she doesn't try an E-flat at the end of "Sempre libera"). The duet with Germont is sung extremely well and her last act is a model of color and pacing. Sass has her own unique sound: darker than we're used to hearing in this role with a good top that occasionally threatens to turn squally. I'm thankful to Opera Depot for making her Violetta available to a larger audience.Kraus is a passionate, elegant Alfredo (with a great top C for the end of "O mio rimorso"), Bruson a noble, elegant Germont whose "Di provenza" is a model of beauty and taste. The supporting cast includes Richard Van Allen as the Marquis and Elizabeth Bainbridge as Annina, both immediately identifiable. Delacote provides strong leadership from the podium.This was recorded from the house with the voices very present (as are some coughs). It was transferred from a rather crackly set of LPs; there are even a few skips for those nostalgic for LP days!Recommended to all Traviata and/or Sass fans!

I saw most of these performances with Luchetti singing Alfredo and Kraus coming in to sing this performance on the 27 April 1977.The cast also included Jonathan Summers as Douphol,Robert Lloyd as the Doctor,Richard van Allan as the Marquis,Robin Leggate as Gaston and Elizabeth Bainbridge as Annina along with Joan Davies as Flora. It was a good performance all round.

As far as I know this the only complete La Traviata available with Sylvia Sass.It is well worth hearing.Rest of the cast is well known to comment. Audio is inhouse but v. good apart for some intrusive coughing in the final Act- always a problem with inhouse recordings.