Some evenings I get nostalgic and surf the internet listening to some pieces that are very, very close to my heart. La Traviata is one of my guilty pleasures. I have listened to tens of versions across the years. But the magic happened only once. It was 2010. It was at the Royal Opera House. That was my Traviata, all mine.
Among some of the most remarkable renditions of this opera is this one, a 1968 audio recording of a performance in Bucharest. Virginia Zeani is Violetta, Ion Buzea is Alfredo and Nicolae Herlea is Germont (starting at 30', my all time favorite, the second act). Such a beauty, everything seems so easy, natural, human, touching...
And a rare video recording of Sempre libera, also in Bucharest but three years before, in 1965.
Enjoy and have a great Sunday!
