Short review down to the point!
No one should consider doing a performance of Traviata without checking in with this recording first. The Callas interpretation is riveting with detail and color that stands alone. Di Stefano is young, exciting, and half crazed a great match for Callas. Bastianini is on the same level with the best of them. This is a recording you can listen to from beginning to end without boredom.
The traditional cuts are welcomed. Had Verdi composed this work 20 years later there would have been no excess. I think the cuts add focus to this masterpiece by trimming the fat. And remember this is from the mid 1950s and live. Leave the sound alone. A nice complete recording, if it exists, with Magda Olivero could have been a second choice.

opera lover
Love opera. Sodoes mom. Perfect Mother's Day gift for her. Sent her several operas that i purchased online. This one was missing a cd. I had to return it. Obviously a seller's mistake. Returned the package and received a refund.

Not a good first version for your library
Due to its' age this recording's quality is spotty. Sometimes the chorus may as well have been in another state. Callas' performance is wonderful, the rest of the principals are adequate. If you are filling out a collection of Callas' work this would be a worthy addition. If you really want to hear the opera, pick another version.

A historic performance
A historic performance, with Maria Callas in her best moment. Very good work in the orchestra, too. Warning: the quality of the recording is below the standard, as a label in the box honestly warns, and it is mono, not stereo, but anyway it's worth to cope with that given the quality of the interpretation.

Verdi: Opera LaTraviata
Enjoyable recording,singers Maria Callas, DiStefano,Bastianini surperb. Clarity as if recently recorded. Orchestra and chorus fantastic.