La Traviata (Jan. 22, 1949)

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave

Antonicelli; Steber, Di Stefano, Merrill

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 1 hrs. 54 min.

Verdi’s immortal tragedy about the clash of true love with social convention has seldom been as poignant as in this broadcast. The sensational Italian tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano, in his second season at the Met, offers his first Alfredo with the company—a tender, romantic, and gorgeously sung performance that perfectly matches Eleanor Steber’s sumptuous and touching Violetta. Robert Merrill, heard here at the beginning of his career, would go on to make the role of Germont one of his calling cards.