"This isn't worth the amazingly low price, unless you want to impress with a gift someone you will never see again. This recording is noisy and very low fidelity, with very distracting microphone placement and an amazing level of audience and stage noise frequently obscuring the performance. Stay away from this one."
If you think you are opera lover, should HEAR once
m-miyasako@uchicago.edu | Chicago | 09/14/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"it's a bad quality of recording but maybe only one available Karajan's Traviata. sound is really bothering but you can certainly enjoy his marverous work. you don't have to buy this as your first Traviata but should try once."
Karajan's La Traviata - interesting and disputable
Sergey Sh. | Moscow Russia | 04/26/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Is it an italian traviata? No. Is it La Traviata? Maybe.
Karajan made peculiar performance similar to engraving. Beauty and delicacy combine with distance and chill - involving and disputable blend. I think it's interesting but not for everyone."
Sounds like it's in a deep, deep hole...
J. Rabideau | Stuck in the Loser State | 04/13/2001
(2 out of 5 stars)
"The tonal quality of this particular recording is fairly bad. It isn't the worst that I've heard (that dubious honour goes to one with a person coughing repeatedly next to the microphone), but it sounds rather hollow, almost as though the sound is being piped through a long tube. If having the Karajan "Traviata" is your goal, Anna Moffo's voice is spectacular, and Karajan's direction is expert (as expected)...and the price is certainly reasonable. In sum, if you're looking for a copy of Karajan's "Traviata", this is it...if you're just looking for a copy of "Traviata", you might think to sidestep this one in favour of something with better sound quality."