American soprano Mary Costa sings Violetta in an English-language adaptation of Verdi's LA TRAVIATA shown on British television in 1964. John Wakefield is Alfredo and Thomas Hemsley sings Germont. The conductor is Bryan Balkwill.
Watch and listen here.
Mary Costa gained worldwide fame performing the voice of Aurora in the 1959 classic Disney film SLEEPING BEAUTY, but the beauteous blonde soprano had an estimable career as an opera star as well.
A native of Knoxville, Ms. Costa's family moved to Los Angeles while she was in her teens. She sang solos at church and later with her sorority. In 1958, having already recorded the Disney soundtrack, she won glowing reviews for a concert she gave at the Hollywood Bowl. This led to an invitation to sing the role of Mařenka in Smetana's BARTERED BRIDE, produced by the renowned German director Carl Ebert, for the Los Angeles Opera Guild. Ebert then requested that she appear at the Glyndebourne Festival.
Also in 1959, Mary Costa sang Cunegonde in the British premiere of Bernstein's CANDIDE. She appeared at Covent Garden and at the Bolshoi as Violetta in TRAVIATA.
In 1963, at the invitation of Jacqueline Kennedy, Ms. Costa sang the Libera me from the Verdi REQUIEM at a televised memorial concert for John F Kennedy. Watch her performance here. In 1971, she sang in the opening performance of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Mary Costa made her Met debut in TRAVIATA in 1964 and went on to sing Manon, Marguerite in FAUST, Rosalinda in FLEDERMAUS, Verdi's Alice Ford, and Musetta with the Company. In 1968, she appeared at The Met in the title-role of Samuel Barber's VANESSA.
In 1972, Ms. Costa starred in the feature film THE GREAT WALTZ. After retiring from the stage and screen, became active as a motivational speaker at schools and colleges across the country, and campaigned for child abuse prevention. In 2003, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Council on the Arts.