Callas, 30 years on
Through tributes, biographies and boxed collections, the Ultimate Prima Dona remains ever present thirty years after her death. With her special voice, both wild and sensual, and her destiny as tragic heroine, Maria Callas will never cease to reach out and touch our souls.
From Maria...to Callas
It's hard to imagine that this radiant young woman, so profoundly elegant and charismatic, could once have been simply Maria Kalogeropoulos from Greece. As a chubby, near-sighted teenager, rejected by her mother, she was still blessed with her heaven-sent talent. Never satisfied with her voice, the girl worked ceaselessly and with astonishing energy to transcend what she perceived to be its imperfections. It was at this time that La Callas was born. Her voice was not considered the world's greatest, but it could captivate one with its remarkable range and its impeccable mellifluous quality. Immediately recognisable, with its unusual timbre, at the same time both disquieting and sweet, it bloomed into extraordinary dramatic distinction. In addition to her vocal talents, no one before her had ever explored the roles she played with such depth and understanding. Her talent as a tragic actress revitalized the art of opera. Gilda, Norma, Aida, Medea, Iphigenia.... the list is endless, and the power she incarnated in the roles ever present. Maria Callas has become legend.
The other side of the coin
“First I lost weight, then I lost my voice, and then I lost Onassis” was Maria Callas' bitter, brutal statement. After having sacrificed everything for her art, provoking passions and rivals, the diva lost 75 pounds setting herself up as an idol waiting to be torn down. She slimmed down using a bizarree marathon diet/regime, and at barely 33, Maria Callas began to show signs of vocal weakness. Her well-documented passion for Aristotle Onassis was one reason attributed to this. La Prima Dona Assoluta began to be seen as much in the tabloids as on stage at the opera house. Abandoned by Onassis, Callas retired at the age of 41 to shut herself up in solitary confinement in her Paris apartment, where it was reported she listened constantly to her own recordings. On 16 September, 1977, she passed away broken hearted. “The gods were bored,” observed Yves St Laurent, “They have called back their Voice.” We mere mortals have to content ourselves with a few CDs....
Estelle Burget
Janvier 2008
