Sunday, time for a classic, this time we take a step outside the "pretty" normal box and play a tune with Maria Callas by Puccini and a piece from Tosca called "Vissi d'Arte"
Maria Callas (Greek: Μαρία Κάλλας; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977), was a Greek-American soprano, and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina.
Born in New York City and raised by an overbearing mother, she received her musical education in Greece and established her career in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies of wartime poverty and with myopia that left her nearly blind onstage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career. She turned herself from a heavy woman into a svelte and glamorous one after a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career. The press exulted in publicizing Callas's temperamental behavior, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Although her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her "the Bible of opera" and her influence so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: "Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists.
Why Maria Callas, well mostly because me and Thetania just let loose the Wallander series, where the main character Kurt Wallander most adorable artist is Maria Callas, something that you will see that he plays more than once.
Today's tune is with Maria Callas that sings Puccini: Tosca - 'Vissi d'Arte' at Covent Garden 1964. Maria Callas' final appearance on the operatic stage was in Tosca at Covent Garden's 1965 Royal Gala. For many opera lovers, Maria Callas and Tosca's Vissi d'Arte are inseparable. "I lived for art; I lived for love" became La Divina's cri de coeur, her swansong, the perfect expression of her own triumphs and tragedies. This unrivaled recording is from that legendary Zeffirelli production in 1964 and is one of just many jewels in the Maria Callas Live edition.
More info @
Official Maria Callas Web
Listen to ”Maria Callas - Vissi d'Arte" on Spotify!
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