Pateira

In 1958, for the first and only time, the voice, the stage presence and art of Maria Callas graced the most historic of Portuguese opera houses: Lisbon's Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.  Despite playing Violetta in only two performances (the 27th and 30th of March), Maria Callas' performance earned a place in operatic history.  Even today, when the Lisbon Traviata is mentioned, one automatically thinks of Callas. 

As usual, the Portuguese national public radio station, Emissora Nacional de Radiodifusão -- nowadays called Rádio Difusão Portuguesa or RDP -- broadcast live the opening night performance, where Callas was joined by Alfredo Kraus as Alfredo, Mario Sereni as Giorgio Germont, with Franco Ghione conducting the Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional, Portugal's National Symphony Orchestra.  The occasion marked Maria Callas' debut in Portugal, an important event the Emissora Nacional lost no time in archiving the original iron oxide tapes.  In December 2000, the first CD edition of the Lisbon Traviata from its original source tape was issued, with no commercial intentions.  This RDP edition was merely a courtesy issue, and its copies could not be found either in record shops or similar commercial establishments.  In less than a month, the 2000 copies sold out quickly, from a reception desk inside RDP's main building in Lisbon!  

The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, is the opera house of Lisbon. It was opened on July 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The theatre is located in the historical center of Lisbon, near the Chiado district.