So many to choose from… I decided to skip the obvious (surely someone else will submit Leontyne’s iconic farewell “O patria mia”!) and instead to limit myself to performances I saw in person.

In this case, it was one the I saw up close and personal: in 1990, I sang in the chorus of Opera Pacific (Orange County, CA) – one Puccini (Turandot) and one Verdi (La traviata) that starred the great Diana Soviero. I have mentioned before what a transformative experience this was for me. I had heard numberous recordings, some videos (Contrubas at the Met) and even a couple live (Veronica Villarroel), but nothing prepared me for the Soviero experience. Her total combining of voice and acting was revelatory. Every choice seemed organic yet well thought through. As I have said before, watching her perform was a master class in Violetta.

Sadly, there is little recorded evidence of Ms. Soviero, but I did manage to find this video from a performance in South Africa. For better sound (and co-stars), look for the recording from a Budapest performance with Jerry Hadley and Brian Schexnader.