THE SONGBIRD: Beverly Sills (1929 - 2007) was my first diva and the reason I became infatuated with coloratura sopranos and started collecting vocal music. Sills holds a special place in my musical life to this day so I'm happy to share this rendition that is not currently posted on KZfaq. According the Sills performance annals online, she sang the role of Violetta at least 92 times across the United States (as well as in Venice, Naples, and Berlin), from her role debut in 1951 in Utica to her last appearance in 1977 in Pasadena. This performance from January 17, 1970 in Naples is conducted by Aldo Ceccato, who conducted her 1971 studio recording. Sills writes about this performance in her first autobiography: she was in her dressing room after “Amami Alfredo” when she was suddenly asked by a stagehand to rush back to the stage to take a bow mid-act due to the continuing audience cheers. She did so partially out of costume and barefoot.
THE MUSIC: Verdi's "La traviata" is the most popular opera in the world. According to Operabase statistics (www.operabase.com/statistics/en), since 1996 it's had 3,805 productions, more than any other opera. It was not a success at its premiere in Venice in 1853, due to the audience reactions to the singers, however productions in the following few years began to take hold (Madrid, Vienna, London, New York, and in a French translation in Paris) and this masterpiece been a part of the core repertoire ever since. Violetta, the principal soprano role and title character is a long, very challenging and rewarding role with consistently brilliant music and a compelling story arc. Her multipart aria at the end of Act One begins with an introspective recitative that segues into an intimate and probing aria "Ah fors'e lui" where she ponders her burgeoning attraction to Alfredo and what their life together might be like. She stops herself cold when she realizes such a domestic life would be against her nature, and her fate, and in the highly florid cabaletta "Sempre libera" vows to continue living in the carefree lifestyle of a courtesan.