Maria Callas - La Callas... Toujours (1958)

The shocked child

I was eight years old when I saw this appearance of Mme Callas on TV. Eight years, and I was shocked for life.
My eyes could not leave the TV screen for one second, and afterwards I immediately withdraw to my room, pulled down pictures of Swedish pop stars from my wall and replaced them with a large photo of Maria, newly found in a weekly magazine. I was shocked, not only by her intensy and performace during that specific evening in 1958, but for lifetime. I repeatedly asked my father that he would take me to the Royal Opera in Stockholm, but it was not to be until 1972, when I had my first opportunity to visit the Opera House myself. I did not know much of Wagner but already had a Swedish idol in Birgit Nilsson, so my first real experience in Stockholm was a complete Ring des Nibelungen with Nilsson. Now 23 years old, a was shocked again and since then opera has never left my life. I will never forget that my interest was so unexpectedly woken by the flame of Maria Callas from Paris. How happy I was when this CD appeared! May 5, 2008

A great collectable...

Casta Diva, sung by Callas, has always been one of my favourite pieces of music. The woman was phenominal, despite her being a real 'Diva.'

To be able to see a remastered film copy of a concert that took place back in 1958 is just simply thrilling.

Highly recommended. March 20, 2007

Excellent addition to a Callas collection

What I have enjoyed the most is watching the contrasts of this performance to the Callas Covent Garden video recording. Here, Callas is at her glamourous best. For example, the TOSCA in this recording presents a coutured diva whose dramatics are down a notch from the CG performance. Vocally, I think she is better here - but dramatically, the CG performance is superior.

I am glad to have this, if only to compare the two performances of ACT II TOSCA. It is also an excellent lesson in the grace and deportment of a true opera star. Such style! Such expression! (The concert portion of this is similar to the Hamburg recording.) July 27, 2004

discover Maria Callas

Of all the available visual samples available of Maria Callas this is the best and most loyal. In this peformance we are treated to some of Callas' most famous arias with dramatic changes in character and musical style. We begin with the bel canto treat of selections from Norma- Callas' famous "Casta Diva". Unfortunately the chorus who sings with her is horrible and off time which detracts from an otherwise perfect experience. No one was able to match the sheer expressiveness and fluid phrasing of Callas in this arena. Next selections from Il Trovatore are dramatic and again showcase the amazing phrasing which no other artist has been able to match. Leonora is shown to us as a living breathing person rather than just some pretty arias and a chance to showcase vocal beauty. Callas may not deliver the full throated beauty of other singers in this role, but you will never find a more fully developed and well phrased character in a role which was meant to be acted- not showcased for vocal fireworks. Then, she switches yet again into the comic light coluratura of Rosina's aria from the Barber of Seville. This was an aria she often performed in recital- yet rarely was she ever in such good voice as in this presentation. One overly eager fan began to shout brava in the middle of her aria while others shushed him. By far the highlight though is the staged preformance of act 2 of Tosca with Tito Gobbi. If you have ever heard Callas' Tosca then I need not comment of the genius she brought to this role. The greatest highlight of which is her Vissi D'arte which I dare you to sit dry eyed through. Her magnificent voice and unmatched vocal expression milk that aria for all it's worth. It is a shame that we weren't able to see Callas ealier when her voice was fuller and in richer bloom- but here we have her in fine voice and her usual dramatic perfection which she only achieved later in her career- this DVD is well worth it- discover La Divina today! June 13, 2004

Okay

After I wrote some opinions on Callas' Hamburg recitals on DVD, I received from Theo of Athens a sardonic, catcallish email which I instantly responded to and then had my email address taken off Amazon to forestall any future puerile, boorish hate mail. Now for this DVD. I was very disappointed. Casta diva is a warhorse and one of the most boring arias I have ever heard. This performance (notwithstanding the voice-over pronouncements of Callas' overwhelmingly overwhelming success) was punctuated with more coughs than a tubercular ward. The Rossini was a treasure and the Verdi was wonderful. But the Tosca. Puccini and Donizetti (and Bach) are my favorite composers, and Tosca was my first opera and along with Rigoletto is my favorite. I have heard better Toscas, even (particularly) from Callas on CD. It was a chance of a lifetime actually to see Callas and Gobbi together, but as I thought after the Hamburg concerts and am positive now, I will stick to CDs of the voice and let the movies pass. One note. This flick's audio and video qualities were, with just one or two glitches, perfectly fine. I liked (and recommend) this DVD for its "historical" value, not for its musical. April 29, 2004

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