The Covent Garden Opera – the evolution of greatness, Part Three

One of the great strengths of the Covent Garden Opera was its roster of outstanding singers on salary, which allowed to perform major works with very few guest principals. Most remarkable at this time was the production of Berlioz's epic The Trojans, which in 1957 received more or less its first staged performances anywhere in the world. It gave the young company member Jon Vickers an early break in his career and was conducted by the Music Director Rafael Kubelik. But visiting stars still mattered and Maria Callas made another sensational appearance as Violetta in La Traviata. With more eyewitness testimonials from Lord Harewood, Jon Vickers, Edward Downes and Nicholas Payne.