Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas. If you’re an opera buff, it’s possible you may already be suffering from Callas fatigue, with the voluminous coverage in print and hosannas on the radio and a major motion picture on the way starring Angelina Jolie.
Even so, I’ve taken a little time the past couple of days to pull together some links to a few of her incendiary performances. Some of them smolder. Some of them flare. Some are like a volcanic eruption. It’s easy to forget how thrilling a great performance can be until you’re suddenly confronted by the real thing.
The consensus seems to be that her voice was at its best in the 1950s; but in whatever era, Callas’ absorption and her total commitment to the drama of the moment can be stunning.
Yes, she was flawed. She could be difficult. Controversial, even. She certainly had a sense of her own worth. But it’s not for nothing that she’s been dubbed the Soprano of the Century.
Much of the proof is right there in the audio. It’s too late for us to be there in the house for a Callas performance. But listen to the near-hysteria of her audiences, in the “Aida” and “Anna Bolena” clips especially, to get an idea of what an electric night in the theater an evening with Callas must have been.
Happy centenary, La Divina.
Immortal “Tosca”
“Vissi d’arte,” Paris 1958
“Casta Diva,” Paris Opera debut 1958; Callas wearing a million dollars in jewelry!
“Suicidio!” from Ponchielli’s “Gioconda”
“O don fatale,” Verdi’s “Don Carlo”
“Aida;” the audience explodes!
“Carmen” Habanera
I hope you find this as amusing as I do. Georges Prêtre doesn’t waste a gesture conducting this selection from Bizet’s “Carmen,” Covent Garden, 1962
La Scala 1957, the mad scene from Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena.” The audience, at the 9:14 mark, sounds like they’re going to take the place apart.
If Callas oversaturation is your thing, here’s 7 and a half hours of arias!