Her early Lucia, Gilda, Elvira, Violetta... truly terrify me. The sheer size of the voice, the heaviness and the herculean effort she puts into sounding so young, weak and fragile. As Sutherland said, it is "a wonderful shock".
@@LohengrinO Singing Lucia with that voice was no different from taming the ocean. That mezza voce trill sounds gigantic. My favorite part is the lightness of the chest tones here, though. She sang THAT Giaconda that year. This is the most Lucia you can get out of this HUGE dramatic voice.
@@alioffe4321 what amazes me so is how the sound pours out of her throat without the slightest effort and with an effect of being covered by cotton???? and thick as Molasses but Agile as a fairy
All that and the fact that she had sung Gioconda, Isolde, Parsifal, Turandot those same years or around it. Listening over and over to those early years is as you say terrifying so much sound, ease, dramatic involvement. Fierce!
There are two categories of opera listeners: 1) people who acknowledge Callas is the most miraculous opera singer since recorded history 2) delusional people
That COLOSSAL voice...the CRYSTAL diction with drama pouring from every syllable....the STUNNING coloratura....the COMETS her high notes were back then....the SEAMLESS legato.... She was the TRUE ASSOLUTA of the ages. How blessed we were to have had her on this earth!!!
In high school I became interested in opera and got some opera recordings at my public library. Three of them were the 1953 Callas recordings of Tosca and Lucia and the 1954 recording of Norma. I did not think much of the other opera recordings with other singers. But the three Callas recordings just blew me away. There was just something about the Callas voice that was out of the ordinary. I went back to the library and got more of Callas' recordings. I could not get enough. Today I have every available Callas recording - both commercial and live performances. For me she will always be the supreme opera singer. Even today when I listen to opera recordings of operas which Callas did not perform, I keep thinking what would Callas do with this role.
Lucia. It was the opera that convinced me Maria was “the” soprano for the ages. I listened to her LP recording with Serafin from the Chicago public library. Her voice haunted me for months with all the emotions, virtuosity, and pathos. Then I listened to her Karajan’s Trovatore, then the pirated live performances…. and I was a goner. ❤️
It's not just singing. It's the presentation of a particular person at a particularly distressing time through lyrics and tune which Callas does better than anyone else. And bravo also to the flute player who did a fantastic job. Very difficult role in the "dialogue ".
Sometimes it's unbearable to think that we will never hear this voice live, but then I feel so grateful that so many of these live performances were recorded.
@@LohengrinO even if someone with the right throat emerged, they might not have the same artistic temperament, desire, or even know about opera in the first place, and they certainly wouldn't get the same training. Sadly I think you are right.
@@IgorS_Isr exactly. Nature will always furnish us with the raw materials for great artists, the once in a century talents, BUT the seed must take root in fertile soil.
MARIA CALLAS ...un monumento della Lirica...la sua voce travalica tutti i confini del possibile...e si propone come la cantante assoluta dell'impossibile...in Lucia...le sue note cantate sono pietra miliare...nessuna come lei ha percorso le impervie scale ascendenti e discendenti di questa opera...tratteggiando con inusuale furore artistico la sua arte di prima donna del melodramma...ma sempre vigile alla lettura dello spartito...e ferrea nella sua esecuzione...MARIA CALLAS la DIVINA. 🙏
Whenever I hear the mad scene, it is Callas that comes to mind. The ease it which she handles all the coloratura passages with that giant voice of hers is a astounding. A voice that big shouldn’t be that agile and yet it was.
Supreme. We must each only aim towards her North Star. 🌟 She gave ALL to her Art, and in doing so, to us, to God. Her technique, Artistry, interpretive and vocal powers, her sacrifice, her blood/Soul letting all within the confines of the Composer, serving the Music and revealing its transcendence. Breathtaking. These days i rarely listen to my beloved Callas as I must be strong snd her Art devastates me emotionally though it causes me to feel, and hear, God.
Phenomenal!! To say the least... A unique entity that swept away all we knew and understood as being singing Opera and Belcanto. Eternal Greek Goddess!!
She has been always magnificent but especially at that time. First because she was endowed by God with a privileged voice. But apart from that she knew how to take advantage of her opulent instrument. Hard work (which is the main requirement for achieving such a solid vocal technique) plus intelligence, an outstanding personality and an extraordinary sense of musicality that has no comparison in the opera world. That‘s why it’s impossible to imitate her. Her voice floats so comfortable on the air that it gives me vertigo. Despite its true nature as a „voce di forza“, it sounds slight and like a woodwind instrument.
A once in a lifetime singer, she graced us momentarily with her true genius, then left. Nothing else compares. Lucky were those who basked in all her glory.
...was searching for the cd of Billie Holliday Lady In Satin in central cd stores in Athens because Barbra Streisand had said it was one of the 2-3 albums she ever bought... I was 16 years old... suddenly I see a vinyl of the Callas Hamburg recital in 1959... I said to myself, she is Greek and u dont even know her... shame on u... so I bought the vinyl... in the following months every time I played the vinyl I was thinking: that woman is 3 different singers with 3 different voices... dont understand anything... (was trying to Enter the world of Opera with Spontini's Tu che invoco and Verdi's Tu che le vanita ahahahahahahhaha I should have tried Wagner, it would have been easier!!!)... after 1 year, yes it took me about a year, I was CRAZY about her... Acquired Taste / Mania
@@LohengrinO What a lovely story. My father listened to opera only and played Maria to me one day, told me a bit about her story and I fell in love. My father loved Anna Moffo (probably because he had a crush on her since his teenage years) and we'd often have battles - me saying Maria is better and him fighting for Anna.. Although, I know he actually knew Maria was supreme... :)
Flawless singing throughout. I prefer lighter voices for Lucia (she's more of a Bolena to me, in both voice and temperament), but the way she overcomes every single vocal demand is outstanding.
@@LohengrinO So true! And it can come across to some as "ugly" if they don't understand her voice. Sometimes though, as they learn, their perception can be changed. Such was the case with me. First time I heard her I was a teenager in high school, who loved opera. But I couldn't stand her voice at all the first several times I heard her! But something just kept calling me back to listen to her, and eventually I "got it", and she has since been my absolutely favorite singer of all times, for the last 50 years, with no other comparisons at all!!! IN FACT, I'd go so far as to say that she's way beyond being my "favorite singer"! My "favorite singers" are Caballe, Sills, Sutherland, etc. But La Divina is in her own category, separate from all others, and can be compared to no one! As she herself said, she had no rivals!
I could never attempt to describe the beauty of her voice nor her technique. I only know how she makes me feel and in my book it's a delightful addiction! I'm so grateful to all who take the time to upload and share there treasures. God bless you all , be safe.
Uno puede escuchar en la actualidad buenas y hasta lucidas versiones de Lucia pero cuando escucha a esta mujer llega a la conclusión que ésta es Divina. Gracias y Feliz Año Nuevo Lohengrin O desde Santiago, Chile. 🤝👏👏👏👏✝️🙏✝️🎼🎼🇨🇱🇨🇱. Dr.Fernando Rivas-Burattini.
As a complete stranger to Callas world; The first time I read the title of Callas singing Lucia I thought it was a joke but when I clicked on it, I could not believe what I was hearing, this is IMPOSSIBLE singing for such a GINORMOUS voice.
Δεν νομίζω κάτι τέτοιο να είχε ακουσθεί προηγουμένως, τουλάχιστον τον 20ό αιώνα, ούτε πρόκειται μάλλον σύντομα να ακουστεί ξανά. Είναι όντως υπεράνθρωπο από κάθε άποψη (φωνή, αίσθημα, τεχνική κλπ.) Ευχαριστώ θερμά, φίλε Τεό.
I'm Honest... When i was younger i had no particular interest in opera. Part of it because of Maria Callas. I never actually listened to her but off course i knew who she was. I found her heavy and too emotional. Much too dark and so i assumed that opera just was that way. Now that i'm older and have found out what i like, i have a total other opinion. Callas is so outstanding and electrifying. She really is quite something. I especially like this recording of her Lucia. I would have gone mad if i were there.
Quite same as John Ardoin... when he was given as a gift her LP of her studio Lucia, he gave it away to a friend... 6 months later he went and bought a new LP for himself because her Lucia was Haunting him... later he became one of her greatest fans ever
People with odd or slightly flawed voices (according to public opinion)-,can work hard and achieve true,full artistry. People with beautiful or powerful voices become great artists also-but don't have to sacrifice ,or struggle -and won't sacrifice-o get to the ultimate hey are capable of.
@@LohengrinO The top, the middle, and the gutsy/chesty low! What a true phenomenon she was!!! And how she could make her voice so light and bright one minute, and gutsy dramatic the next! A true Soprano Assoluta!
Her early Lucia, Gilda, Elvira, Violetta... truly terrify me. The sheer size of the voice, the heaviness and the herculean effort she puts into sounding so young, weak and fragile. As Sutherland said, it is "a wonderful shock".
0 effort to just pour out of her mouth an oceanic sound... and on the highest notes 11:39 thats not a trill and an Eb6... it is an Eruption of Energy
@@LohengrinO Singing Lucia with that voice was no different from taming the ocean. That mezza voce trill sounds gigantic. My favorite part is the lightness of the chest tones here, though. She sang THAT Giaconda that year. This is the most Lucia you can get out of this HUGE dramatic voice.
@@alioffe4321 what amazes me so is how the sound pours out of her throat without the slightest effort and with an effect of being covered by cotton???? and thick as Molasses but Agile as a fairy
@@LohengrinO exactly how it sounds to me. This is the loudest I’ve ever heard a prompter. God, this is wonderful.
All that and the fact that she had sung Gioconda, Isolde, Parsifal, Turandot those same years or around it. Listening over and over to those early years is as you say terrifying so much sound, ease, dramatic involvement. Fierce!
There are two categories of opera listeners:
1) people who acknowledge Callas is the most miraculous opera singer since recorded history
2) delusional people
I think for Maria it applies what Betty White said about cats: People who dont like them have never been around them :D
That COLOSSAL voice...the CRYSTAL diction with drama pouring from every syllable....the STUNNING coloratura....the COMETS her high notes were back then....the SEAMLESS legato.... She was the TRUE ASSOLUTA of the ages. How blessed we were to have had her on this earth!!!
In high school I became interested in opera and got some opera recordings at my public library. Three of them were the 1953 Callas recordings of Tosca and Lucia and the 1954 recording of Norma. I did not think much of the other opera recordings with other singers. But the three Callas recordings just blew me away. There was just something about the Callas voice that was out of the ordinary. I went back to the library and got more of Callas' recordings. I could not get enough. Today I have every available Callas recording - both commercial and live performances. For me she will always be the supreme opera singer. Even today when I listen to opera recordings of operas which Callas did not perform, I keep thinking what would Callas do with this role.
Lucia. It was the opera that convinced me Maria was “the” soprano for the ages. I listened to her LP recording with Serafin from the Chicago public library. Her voice haunted me for months with all the emotions, virtuosity, and pathos. Then I listened to her Karajan’s Trovatore, then the pirated live performances…. and I was a goner. ❤️
It's not just singing. It's the presentation of a particular person at a particularly distressing time through lyrics and tune which Callas does better than anyone else.
And bravo also to the flute player who did a fantastic job. Very difficult role in the "dialogue ".
Sometimes it's unbearable to think that we will never hear this voice live, but then I feel so grateful that so many of these live performances were recorded.
the world will never see another Callas
@@LohengrinO even if someone with the right throat emerged, they might not have the same artistic temperament, desire, or even know about opera in the first place, and they certainly wouldn't get the same training. Sadly I think you are right.
To see a new Maria Callas there should be a new Elvira de Hidalgo first and maybe a new Tullio Serafin.
@@IgorS_Isr exactly. Nature will always furnish us with the raw materials for great artists, the once in a century talents, BUT the seed must take root in fertile soil.
didnt they do a holographic image concert to quench people like you?
MARIA CALLAS ...un monumento della Lirica...la sua voce travalica tutti i confini del possibile...e si propone come la cantante assoluta dell'impossibile...in Lucia...le sue note cantate sono pietra miliare...nessuna come lei ha percorso le impervie scale ascendenti e discendenti di questa opera...tratteggiando con inusuale furore artistico la sua arte di prima donna del melodramma...ma sempre vigile alla lettura dello spartito...e ferrea nella sua esecuzione...MARIA CALLAS la DIVINA. 🙏
Strong, impulsive, fearless, accurate.
Isn’t that perfection?
Absolute
The voice that shook the world. As Maria said 'Lucia is a dramatic soprano role'.
Whenever I hear the mad scene, it is Callas that comes to mind. The ease it which she handles all the coloratura passages with that giant voice of hers is a astounding. A voice that big shouldn’t be that agile and yet it was.
yes that is exactly the comment Tebaldi had done about Callas: ... hearing that big voice singing coloratura so well...
Supreme. We must each only aim towards her North Star. 🌟 She gave ALL to her Art, and in doing so, to us, to God. Her technique, Artistry, interpretive and vocal powers, her sacrifice, her blood/Soul letting all within the confines of the Composer, serving the Music and revealing its transcendence. Breathtaking. These days i rarely listen to my beloved Callas as I must be strong snd her Art devastates me emotionally though it causes me to feel, and hear, God.
Phenomenal!! To say the least...
A unique entity that swept away all we knew and understood as being singing Opera and Belcanto. Eternal Greek Goddess!!
Born in Brooklyn Greek
The very first time I heard the "duet" between the soprano and the flute i was in heaven and even now ...😁
Thanks.
None of the singers was able to give the image of Lucia so many shades, halftones, so phenomenal to use rubato like Maria. She is eternal and unique.
She has been always magnificent but especially at that time. First because she was endowed by God with a privileged voice. But apart from that she knew how to take advantage of her opulent instrument. Hard work (which is the main requirement for achieving such a solid vocal technique) plus intelligence, an outstanding personality and an extraordinary sense of musicality that has no comparison in the opera world. That‘s why it’s impossible to imitate her.
Her voice floats so comfortable on the air that it gives me vertigo. Despite its true nature as a „voce di forza“, it sounds slight and like a woodwind instrument.
Callas set the standard for Lucia; period! Bravissima!
And for all other operas where she sang.
A once in a lifetime singer, she graced us momentarily with her true genius, then left. Nothing else compares. Lucky were those who basked in all her glory.
I have been in love with Maria since the age of 5 or 6, and I'm 38 now. It never wanes, it only grows
...was searching for the cd of Billie Holliday Lady In Satin in central cd stores in Athens because Barbra Streisand had said it was one of the 2-3 albums she ever bought... I was 16 years old... suddenly I see a vinyl of the Callas Hamburg recital in 1959... I said to myself, she is Greek and u dont even know her... shame on u... so I bought the vinyl... in the following months every time I played the vinyl I was thinking: that woman is 3 different singers with 3 different voices... dont understand anything... (was trying to Enter the world of Opera with Spontini's Tu che invoco and Verdi's Tu che le vanita ahahahahahahhaha I should have tried Wagner, it would have been easier!!!)... after 1 year, yes it took me about a year, I was CRAZY about her... Acquired Taste / Mania
@@LohengrinO What a lovely story. My father listened to opera only and played Maria to me one day, told me a bit about her story and I fell in love. My father loved Anna Moffo (probably because he had a crush on her since his teenage years) and we'd often have battles - me saying Maria is better and him fighting for Anna.. Although, I know he actually knew Maria was supreme... :)
comparing Maria to Moffo is like comparing Barbra Streisand to Niki Minaj :D but each to his own taste in life
@@LohengrinO haha I couldn’t agree more
Flawless singing throughout. I prefer lighter voices for Lucia (she's more of a Bolena to me, in both voice and temperament), but the way she overcomes every single vocal demand is outstanding.
I simply cannot comprehend how anyone can call the Callas voice "ugly"...
it had that uncanny timbre that sounds reaaaally strange...she herself had cried bitter tears when she first heard herself recorded
@@LohengrinO So true! And it can come across to some as "ugly" if they don't understand her voice. Sometimes though, as they learn, their perception can be changed. Such was the case with me. First time I heard her I was a teenager in high school, who loved opera. But I couldn't stand her voice at all the first several times I heard her! But something just kept calling me back to listen to her, and eventually I "got it", and she has since been my absolutely favorite singer of all times, for the last 50 years, with no other comparisons at all!!! IN FACT, I'd go so far as to say that she's way beyond being my "favorite singer"! My "favorite singers" are Caballe, Sills, Sutherland, etc. But La Divina is in her own category, separate from all others, and can be compared to no one! As she herself said, she had no rivals!
@@LohengrinO As you say, everything in her is so strange and has to be strange, over the perfection of her art and her great musicality
@@henri-francoisserrescousin412 she was an Alien from outer space for sure... a category of her own... Unique
@@artdanks4846 Absolutely.
Her vocal accomplishments is unparalleled in opera and beyond-jaw dropping in this Lucia is whatever and my God
I could never attempt to describe the beauty of her voice nor her technique. I only know how she makes me feel and in my book it's a delightful addiction! I'm so grateful to all who take the time to upload and share there treasures. God bless you all , be safe.
Uno puede escuchar en la actualidad buenas y hasta lucidas versiones de Lucia pero cuando escucha a esta mujer llega a la conclusión que ésta es Divina.
Gracias y Feliz Año Nuevo Lohengrin O desde Santiago, Chile. 🤝👏👏👏👏✝️🙏✝️🎼🎼🇨🇱🇨🇱.
Dr.Fernando Rivas-Burattini.
Maria Callas dans toute sa splendeur 👑💎👑❤️
As a complete stranger to Callas world; The first time I read the title of Callas singing Lucia I thought it was a joke but when I clicked on it, I could not believe what I was hearing, this is IMPOSSIBLE singing for such a GINORMOUS voice.
Δεν νομίζω κάτι τέτοιο να είχε ακουσθεί προηγουμένως, τουλάχιστον τον 20ό αιώνα, ούτε πρόκειται μάλλον σύντομα να ακουστεί ξανά. Είναι όντως υπεράνθρωπο από κάθε άποψη (φωνή, αίσθημα, τεχνική κλπ.)
Ευχαριστώ θερμά, φίλε Τεό.
I love Lucia! And Callas, too. Superb artistry.
Young callas, an outstanding Lucia! Thanks!
Sencillamente fabulosa
Emocionante
La mejor de todos.los tiempos. Escucharla es transportarse al Olimpo.
GRANDE MARIA!! 👏👏
I'm Honest... When i was younger i had no particular interest in opera. Part of it because of Maria Callas. I never actually listened to her but off course i knew who she was. I found her heavy and too emotional. Much too dark and so i assumed that opera just was that way. Now that i'm older and have found out what i like, i have a total other opinion. Callas is so outstanding and electrifying. She really is quite something. I especially like this recording of her Lucia. I would have gone mad if i were there.
Quite same as John Ardoin... when he was given as a gift her LP of her studio Lucia, he gave it away to a friend... 6 months later he went and bought a new LP for himself because her Lucia was Haunting him... later he became one of her greatest fans ever
People with odd or slightly flawed voices (according to public opinion)-,can work hard and achieve true,full artistry.
People with beautiful or powerful voices become great artists also-but don't have to sacrifice ,or struggle -and won't sacrifice-o get to the ultimate hey are capable of.
Amazing!
Awesome!!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
La piu brava
Was this one of the Mexican Lucias?
the 2nd Night :D
@@LohengrinO Amazing! I don't think I've ever heard this particular performance! Perhaps one of her best mad scenes!
@@artdanks4846 absolutely Fearless.... the top notes are Miracles
@@LohengrinO The top, the middle, and the gutsy/chesty low! What a true phenomenon she was!!! And how she could make her voice so light and bright one minute, and gutsy dramatic the next! A true Soprano Assoluta!