LA MATTINA ALL’OPERA, BUONGIORNO CON…. · Paolo Pellegrini

La Mattina all'Opera Buongiorno con ... La Traviata di Lisbona del 1958

March 29, 2026·35 min·3 clips

How did a 1958 Lisbon Traviata, not conceived as extraordinary, become one of Maria Callas's most complete testimonies?

The episode opens by introducing the February 27, 1958, performance of 'La Traviata' from the Teatro Nacional de San Carlos in Lisbon. The hosts frame this recording as one that was not initially considered extraordinary but has become a key testimony of Maria Callas's artistry. They compare it to her earlier Mexican performances from the early 1950s, which were more vocally spectacular, and her later Covent Garden performance, which they describe as highly stylized. The Lisbon recording is positioned as capturing Callas at full vocal maturity. The analysis extends to the conductor, Franco Ghione, whose sensitive, old-school Italian direction is praised for supporting Callas better than other conductors like Rescigno. The episode also examines the other principals: Alfredo Kraus is highlighted for his youthful, dramatically impetuous portrayal of Alfredo, with comparisons to Tito Schipa's sensitivity, and Mario Sereni for his solid Verdian accent as Giorgio Germont. Specific musical excerpts are discussed, including the first-act finale, where Callas's phrasing blends veristic immediacy with neoclassical perfection to convey Violetta's solitude. The hosts note the 'neurotic, febrile' quality Callas brings to certain cabalettas, likening it to 19th-century depictions of tuberculosis. They also mention the duet 'Parigi, o cara' and other selected pages, concluding that this recording remains a masterpiece worthy of repeated listening.

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