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
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Bizet: Carmen (1964 - Prêtre) - Callas Remastered
Maria Callas, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, Georges Prêtre
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1964
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Her Greatest Live Recitals
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 24 Mar 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bellini: Norma (1952 - London) - Callas Live Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 4 Nov 2003
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Callas sings Mozart, Beethoven & Weber Arias - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1964
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Giuseppe Verdi : Un ballo in maschera (1956). 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: I vespri siciliani (1951 - Florence) - Callas Live Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Sep 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Aida (1951 - Mexico City) - Callas Live Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Aug 1987
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gioachino Rossini : Il Turco in Italia (1954) - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bellini: Norma by Maria Callas (2023 Remastered, Milan 1954)
Maria Callas, Tullio Serafin, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Opera - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
María Callas – Bellini / Norma Excerpts Teatro Colón 1949 (Live)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Lantower Records - Producciones Teatro Colón on 14 Dec 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Callas à Paris. More Arias from French Opera (Gluck, Berlioz, Bizet, Massenet, Gounod) - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Il turco in Italia
Maria Callas, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Le Barbier de Séville (Stereo Version)
Maria Callas, Luigi Alva, Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Gaetano Donizetti : Lucia di Lammermoor (1953) - Callas Remastered
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Sep 2014
The Qobuz Essential Discography24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: La bohème
Maria Callas, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Antonino Votto
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 14 Jul 1987
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grands airs lyriques et coloratures (Mono Version)
Maria Callas, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tullio Serafin
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Casta diva (La Scala, 1960)
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia
Maria Callas, Luigi Alva, Tito Gobbi, Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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