Two historic recordings of La Traviata have been hard to find for the past thirty years of more. Oddly, the first recording (1912 from France) has been available despite its lack of either musical or historical value. The second known recording is provided here as nearly complete as I have been able to find it. Similarly, the second and standard electrical recording, from 1930, has been missing from the catalogue.
The 1915 recording offers audible production details not heard since Toscanini established the standard interpretation, and clearly not on any recording since his was released. Bevignani was apparently quite young when she recorded the rôle, then was trapped in Holland during the first World War and died there of cholera. Ernesto Badini is best known from his Pasquale on the Schipa recording; Tuminello appears to have been the 'house tenor' of the era and, of course, Carlo Sabajno was to remain the principal conductor for about two more decades. To my ear, this is one of the finest recordings of the opera, despite its dated sound and the missing sides (and parts of sides) at the beginning of the set.
Sabajno conducts La Scala
Violetta: Margherita Bevignani
Alfredo:
Franco Tuminello
Germont: Ernesto Badini
Flora: Maria Patini
Gastone:
Giuseppe Sala
The 1930 recording had the market virtually to itself from release until 1946. Frankly, this is not a performance one needs to know to appreciate the opera or the voices. Sabajno seems less dynamic here, perhaps because the solo voices are less agile than in the previous recording. This transfer is from 78-rpm discs made during World War II, when material for recordings was in short supply and of poor quality; the result is unfortunately audible.
Sabajno conducts La Scala
Violetta: Anna Rozsa
Alfredo: Alessandro
Ziliani
Germont: Luigi Borgonovo
Flora: Olga de Franco
Gastone:
Giordano Callegari
1915 | 1930
Act I
1915 | 1930
Violetta's Party
1915 | 1930 Un di
felice etereo
1915 | 1930 E
strano, e strano ... Sempre libera
1915 | 1930
Act II
1915 | 1930
Lunge da lei ... De miei bollenti spiriti
1915 | 1930 Pura
siccome un angelo
1915 | 1930 Di
Provenza il mar
1915 | 1930 Flora's
Party
1915 | 1930
Act III
1915 | 1930
Introduction
1915 | 1930 Letter
Scene ... Addio del passato
1915 | 1930 Parigi,
o cara