Maria Callas
The fame and legacy of Maria Callas are nearly unsurpassed in the modern history of opera. Her fame has transcended the usual boundaries of classical music, and she has been the inspiration for several movies as well as the successful Broadway play "Master Class." Her extensive catalogue of recordings remains among the most coveted and controversial for both her fans and detractors.
Though American by birth, Callas (born Maria Anne Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos) was born of Greek parents, and at age 13 her mother took her back to Greece because of financial difficulties caused by the Great Depression. She studied voice at the Royal Academy of Music in Athens with Spanish coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo and made rapid progress; she soon sang Santuzza in a student production of Cavalleria rusticana. Her professional debut came at age 16 in a minor role in von Suppé's Boccaccio.
While still in Athens during World War II, Callas sang her first Tosca in 1942. In 1945, she returned to the United States and sang several auditions, but nothing came of her visit. Her first appearance in 1947 at Verona as La Gioconda brought her to the attention of Tullio Serafin; Serafin became her musical advisor for many years, acting as her coach and conductor of many of her performances.
The entire world of opera was stunned when, in 1949 -- while singing Brünnhilde in Die Walküre at Venice -- she agreed to sing Elvira in Bellini's I Puritani, alternating performances during the same week. That same year she traveled to Buenos Aires to sing Turandot and Norma. In 1950, she sang Aida at the Teatro alla Scala, but she did not become a regular member there until 1952. Summer of 1950 brought her to Mexico City where, in one month, she sang Norma, Aida, Tosca and Il trovatore. During these early years, Callas would sing nearly any role offered including Isolde, Leonore in La forza del destino, Constanza in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Elena in I vespri siciliani.
As she matured, Callas began to concentrate on a smaller core repertory, including Cherubini's Medea, Bellini's Norma, Puccini's Tosca, Bellini's La Sonnambula, and Donizetti's Anna Bolena. Most of her other roles were heard only in one series of performances. After 1959, she rarely appeared on the opera stage, but she did sing concerts in America and Europe. Her last opera performances were in June 1965, in Paris as Norma. She came out of retirement in 1973 to tour the world with Giuseppe di Stefano in a series of recitals. Although financially rewarding, the tour did nothing to enhance her reputation. In 1971, she gave a series of masterclasses at the Juilliard School of Music in New York which were quite successful. In 1977, she died of a sudden heart attack in her Paris apartment.
Maria Callas was one of the most controversial singers of the twentieth century. She had a wide range from high E to the F below the staff, and an innate feel for the style of bel canto roles, but she was most notable for bringing a commitment and intensity to her dramatic portrayals that was nearly unprecedented at the time.
Using photorealistic video projection, Callas was brought back to the stage for a new tour in 2018. Callas in Concert features an interactive Callas on stage performing some of her most iconic recordings with a live orchestra.
© Richard LeSueur /TiVo
Similar artists
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Callas sings Arias from Tristano e Isotta, Norma & I puritani - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bellini: Norma
Maria Callas, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Rigoletto
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia by Maria Callas
Maria Callas, Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera
Opera - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Carmen's Habanera - L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 6 Oct 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Paris 1958
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giacomo Puccini : Manon Lescaut (1957) - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Giuseppe Verdi : Aida (1955) - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Nabucco (1949 - Naples) - Callas Live Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 13 Nov 2001
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Amilcare Ponchielli : La Gioconda (1952) - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Callas - Mad Scenes from Anna Bolena, Hamlet & Il pirata - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bellini: La sonnambula (1955 - Milan) - Callas Live Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 5 Nov 2002
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bellini: I Puritani
Maria Callas, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 18 Nov 1987
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Donizetti: Poliuto (1960 - Milan) - Callas Live Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1980
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: La forza del destino
Maria Callas, Carlo Tagliabue, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Maria Callas Sings Bellini
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 16 Jul 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
MARIA CALLAS: CONCERTS AT HAMBURG
Classical - Released by Nar Classical on 12 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The 1958 Recital at the Paris Opera, Part 1: Works by Bellini, Verdi & Rossini (The Original Sound of Maria Callas) (Live Recording, Paris, 19 December 1958)
Maria Callas, Georges Sebastian, Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris
Opera - Released by Unbeldi on 3 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Madama Butterfly by Maria Callas (2023 Remastered, Milan 1955)
Maria Callas, Herbert von Karajan, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Manon Lescaut
Maria Callas, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Tito Gobbi, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo