Callas vs Tebaldi - What rivalry? I have no rivals

Why did Maria Callas say she had no rivals? All will be revealed in “Becoming Callas”, coming VERY soon to celebrate her centenary.

[@dorotakarpiel6717]

She was talking about the differences between opera singers who stem from a tradition called verismo (e.g. Tebaldi ) and herself who as a student of Elvira de Hidalgo was a bel canto singer. Callas was unique with this approach. She said that she admires her "rivals" but they are no rivals because they are so different. She meant if another singer could sing the same repertoire, like Bellini one day, next day Puccini or Wagner, with the same forgotten bel canto technique then she would be her rival.

[@Mattythebassist_]

I think any great performer has no rivals and neither Tabaldi or Callas had any true rivals.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

Tebaldi as well.

[@Nevermore917]

I think Callas had all the reasons to say so. She had a voice that was unique in every way. There was something that we would call beyond human in terms of affecting us. Needless to say that she made her voice sound the way it was. Incredibly hard working soprano.

[@Tkimba2]

There is NO "SUBJECTIVELY" BETTER (ridiculously put, by the girl above) soprano than Callas. She said it You heard it. We all know it.

[@eliascastillorivera7130]

I remember she said only Virginia Zeani was kind of her rival, in some sense

[@MarcsGarage]

La Diva forever ❤

[@amesakurako1]

‘There is no such thing as the best in art, they are just different’ - Rubinstein

[@AWS2210]

GREAT CALLAS, FOREVER!!

[@MaestroWenarto]

I LOVE IT

[@emilianohernandez9860]

IMHO she was the greatest singer of the 20th Century. She could sing everything from Amina to Brunhilde.

[@Feisenbach]

I love Callas' personality but I hate her voice.

[@Orfeus80]

Callas in that interview showed her insecurity and problematic personality. Indeed, the way she was. Truly great artists don't feel the need to attack others.

[@Mika-si3dc]

the only person insecure here is all the people who tried to pit them against each other. Maria was nowhere near insecure and was a deeply gracious woman who gave excellent advice to upcoming singers (Montserrat with Norma!). She was also extremely affectionate.

[@Orfeus80]

@Mika-si3dc she became gracious and generous after she was recognised. There are several incidents with colleagues during her prime years (Stignani, Christoff, Del Monaco, Sordello, Serafin etc) that show she was always feeling threatened. That shows major insecurity issues. She was already long retired from the stage when Caballe was singing her first Norma. And of course, she was nice to younger singers who idolised her. Who doesn't like that? Lol

[@Mika-si3dc]

@@Orfeus80 All of the people you listed absolutely adored Maria, her attitude was mostly cause she was a perfectionist and wanted to get the maximum out of everyone. in 1950s she wasn't early into her career, by that time, she had performed for 10 years already.

[@Orfeus80]

@Mika-si3dc I doubt Stignani adored Callas much after Maria made those agist remarks at Covent Garden. Hence, the legendary mezzo refused to take bows with Callas. Her behaviour towards the others is well documented, no need to repeat it all.

[@Mika-si3dc]

@@Orfeus80 It really isn't well documented, and media antagonizes her all the time.

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

Honestly, there are subjectively better sopranos but that’s not to discount either of them for when either Tebaldi or Callas did well - though of the two of them, Callas was overall more consistently better than Tebaldi, though the latter had an arguably more beautiful voice.

[@walteranibal8425]

In what Callas is better than Tebaldi ? Tebaldi the voice is the most important thing in a singer, in the past there were no singers with ugly voices because in the past to be a A great singer had to have a beautiful voice. Saying: the voice is ugly but he/she sings well or has good technique: that does not exist. That a voice sounds very good. that is already a technical question. A beautiful voice and a great technique is to have the voice througout the range everything of the same qualityeach tone had to be from the same place,the same resonant and the same appoggio and never have irregular vibrations due to have a perfect vibrato, with no irregular vibrations and that is Tebaldi.

[@Mika-si3dc]

Renata Tebaldi was lazy and screamed her way through her career lol

[@Mika-si3dc]

Im glad you say subjectively, since objectively there was only Rosa Ponselle who could be even mentioned in the same sentence as Maria Callas.

[@walteranibal8425]

@@Mika-si3dc Here the one who is a donkey is you, Callas is the one who was always strident and with strident and unpleasant high notes. Tebaldi became famous for the unique velvet of her voice and she became famous precisely for singing from middle C to top C without changing the quality of her voice. Learn to listen to voices,. Callas never couls ing an A natural properly, Tebaldi Bflats, Bs and Cs were perfect in vibration and were colorful, while Callas's high notes are clear in color, strident and with irregular vibrations

[@jamesmcinnis208]

"Honestly"

[@weiliu3623]

Callas, you can’t sing the opera that you sang. You just acted in it and screamed.

[@Mika-si3dc]

How funny that you, a nobody, say this about a musical prodigy who has been singing in theaters since age 16, that's been remembered for over a 100 years, is still the best selling operatic artist of all time and will probably never be rivaled. fu-nny, you need your ears checked ❤️

[@ms.chaewon9231]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA STUPID.

[@ms.chaewon9231]

ACTED MY ASS. YOU ARE AS IGNORANT AF

[@ms.chaewon9231]

SHUT UP IGNORANT

[@AshudwayAtakDeng-lt4sn]

clearly you don't know her or listened to her music you CAN'T even do what she could do she was an icon and a diva and well you....are just a hater who is typing a hate comment thinking the dead woman will see it so stfu welliu3623 because you can't do what she can