In 1956 at the Rome Opera, the legendary Pierre Monteux conducted one of his very few opera recordings, Verdi’s La traviata, starring soprano Rosanna Carteri as the doomed heroine Violetta, Cesari Valletti and Leonard Warren.

A deeply satisfying performance, rewardingly cast and conducted. Rosanna Carteri has the ideal voice, hovering between lirico and spinto, to satisfy the vocal and dramatic demands of the part. Cesare Valletti is just about an ideal Alfredo, a suitably youthful and emotionally vulnerable portrayal. As father Germont, Leonard Warren – famous in the part at the Metropolitan – sings with the mellow tone and care for words that were his hallmarks.

- Gramophone