About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

This is no hype -- Maria Callas is a legend. She is still the very archetype of the diva, in fact: uniquely talented, temperamental, tough, and vulnerable, with a turbulent private life that became all too public on the pages of tabloids throughout the world. She didn't possess the most beautiful voice -- even her most fanatical admirers wouldn't make that claim -- but no other singer has been able to dig so deeply into the dramatic core of an operatic character. Her reedy tone seems to pierce into one's soul, and she clearly means every note and word she sings. This compilation spans the length of her tragically brief career: from the great Tosca and Lucia di Lammermoor recordings of 1954, capturing the soprano working at her dramatic prime, to the French arias of a decade later, where the quality of the voice has already declined although the intensity is as potent ever. Most of these selections are taken from Callas's studio recordings, but there are two examples of her singing live, in a pair of arias from the now infamous "Lisbon" Traviata of 1958. Those wanting a slightly fuller portrait of the diva should check out a two-disc collection entitled The Voice of the Century, which contains almost all of the same tracks as this album, plus ten others. Andrew Farach-Colton, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

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