La Scala goes mad for Maria Callas's Lucia di Lammermoor (1954)

[@Scoubidou-if1of]

It is incomprehensible why La Scala never recorded for their archives their most important productions during that epoch.

[@leonaldobrum]

At a little before 5 minutes in the Aria, you'll start to feel so marvelled by this heavenly voice, so much that you'd give a lot to resuscitate this wonderful singer, this is the ONE that brought a full woman to the singing. The cumulus of acting on singinging.

[@jazzychazzy007]

What I love more than anything about this clip, besides the brilliance of the performance, is the wild delirium of appreciation expressed by the audience. Sometimes on these live performances it would be nice to hear more of this. Thanks for including the applause.

[@paullewis2413]

I doubt that the audience at this time, while clearly appreciating and understanding what great opera sing is all about, (unlike today) would have realised that they were witnessing the apogee of opera which in the span of another half century would virtually disappear. Singers, conductors, designers all at the peak of their art.

[@hartmutlorentzen9659]

This recording should be digitally remastered!

[@stephencostan207]

greatest singing actress ever and her voice reflected that passion............sure there were times when the sound went awry but who cares.it was the mesmerizing and incandescent charisma she radiated from the stage................and her attention to detail..........................bravo Maria...................your voice will live forever

[@gojewla]

The audience reaction says it all. It sounds like a British soccer game.

[@eberlinpascal2837]

Comment se fait il que la télévision n'ai pas songé à retransmettre cette représentation légendaire et historique .C'est malheureux et bien dommage.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

One speaks the names of some opera singers in admiration and praise. One speaks the name of Callas in reverent tones.

[@carmelo46able]

Grazie, Marx 7811, per il tuo post. Un documento emozionante di quella magica serata che ci mostra il grande delirio del pubblico (dopo quello della sfortunata protagonista donizettiana), per la splendida performance della Divina! 💖🌹🌹🌹

[@nurdownstar2653]

No importa cuántas veces la escuche, ¡siempre me causa escalofríos!

[@Shahrdad]

I wish this entire performance were preserved in good sound. I think it's in every respect better than the famous Berlin Lucia, with Callas in beautiful, secure voice, free and rapid trills, and high Ds and E-flats that just pop out of her and shine like a star. And the musicianship and expression is fully formed and impeccable.

[@wilmajanesandbergen4061]

And special Milano public ,no 1 in thé world!

[@jordipanadesribera6890]

Gorgeous.

[@victoriagrapsidou3474]

Invaluable experience! A second to none performance by the greatest soprano of the 20th century.

[@tarhunta2111]

There is so much triumphant glory in her voice.

[@BellaFirenze]

The only fault with this performance is that I was not present to witness it. No one I know imbues the words with so much meaning. Bravissima.

[@mk5244]

…shivers along my spine….unbelievable, unforgettable, incomparable, unique. MC, La Divina

[@trex1563]

The magical year. The voice and actor in complete sympatico. There is absolutely no compromise in the voice here. '56 onwards and the same can't be said, but this is the stuff of legend.... I have NEVER heard the like. And three cheers for the conductor (Karajan?) for that extraordinary final few bars. Outrageous brilliance.

[@ricardojosest6407]

Muchas gracias !!!! Qué buen registro, qué belleza, emocionante !!!!!

[@philippeclement8140]

Et quand on pense, en écoutant cette légèreté aérienne et ces colorature, qu'elle avait commencé la saison avec Médée... La variation des répertoires faisait de la Callas de cette époque une absolue extraterrestre. Le son n'est pas glorieux- celui de Berlin en 55 est fastueux- mais quel document!

[@eberlinpascal2837]

C'est incroyablement beau et spectaculaire .Et cela montre ,preuve à l'appui qu'à cette époque de sa carrière ,Callas était la première cantatrice du monde et une Lucia exemplaire .Même Tebaldi était fascinée par la versatilité de Callas et par sa façon de passer des rôles lourds et veristes ,aux rôles d'agilité et d'extrême coloratura .Bon ,c'est une technique incomparable qui va bien au delà de la seule beauté d'une voix .

[@chantalbeckmann8022]

On pourra discuter inlassablement de ses qualités techniques et artistiques sans pouvoir définir cette qualité tout à fait irrationnelle et donc quasi mystérieuse qui fait qu'elle est devenue un mythe , comment dire ? immortelle, en tous cas inoubliable ....

[@lukincvjetnikutak8109]

Bravaaaaa divaaaaa ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@francoferrari1737]

La Callas è stata una cantante speciale, quasi unica!! Aveva come base una voce scura e pesante, però con possibilità enormi. Ha trovato come insegnante al Conservatorio di Atene, Elvira De Hidalgo spagnola, che era stata soprano leggero, che aveva cantato Barbiere, Puritani, Lucia, e per affinare la voce le faceva cantare questi brani. Questo "incrocio di insegnamento" ha fatto sì che la Callas, nata con voce drammatica, riusciva cantare anche le opere virtuosistiche!! Bisogna aggiungere che la Callas era una cantante studiosissima, studiava ore e ore da sola al pianoforte, per trovare l'emissione più giusta!!

[@bodiloto]

Divina. ❤️🌹

[@claudiosbranchella5049]

Questa Lucia della Callas presenta meno mistero e meno nevrosi che qualsiasi altra, tranne quella berlinese. La voce è luminosa e fluida, il registro acuto raggiante, Ci sono tutte le sottigliezze ritmiche che ormai diamo per scontate nelle sue esecuzioni. Il canto è di una tale bellezza e così abbagliante nei passi di agilità... I tempi della scena della pazzia sono di un'ampiezza che farebbe strozzare un'altra cantante, ma la Callas sembra gioirne. La scena è costruita su un blocco unico, saldato con il suo legato impareggiabile e il canto risulta più sfumato che altrove. Purtroppo una parte di questa scena andò persa durante la radiotrasmissione. La cadenza tuttavia c'è e viene eseguita in maniera ineccepibile. Al termine raffica di applausi. L'eredità Callas di John Ardoin.

[@harrymullany4789]

Singers before Callas evidently had superior training not only as vocal technicians but also as musicians. She was obviously the last example of great bel canto training since none of her contemporaries ever showed as much musical finesse in their singing. The virtuosic scales are truly stunning as is her control of dynamics. Even on this bad recording her artistry still shines.

[@beachfanatic2010]

Exactly and precisely. But what makes Callas stand out if the fact that she could do all these with a GIGANTIC dramatic soprano instrument.

[@artdanks4846]

Sutherland, although she did not have the dramatic ability of Callas, did at least have the proper vocal training and musical instincts for Bel Canto, as did both Sills and Caballe. HOWEVER, Callas was very definitely at the absolute top of this list.

[@ER1CwC]

@@artdanks4846 I was reminded of the famous "He [Bonynge] set my work back a hundred years" comment by Callas when I read your comment. So I googled it and stumbled upon a hilarious review of Sutherland's autobiography by a Rupert Christianse: "La Stupenda turns out stupendously dull read." It's worth a read.

[@ctmagnus760]

There were giants in those days..

[@davidramanzini1605]

Qui ho l'impressione che sia lei a dirigere Karajan, e non il contrario.

[@fabriziogarzi9892]

E' così. E Karajan altrove e' inferiore a queste Lucie e prova che con la Callas era tutt'altra cosa. Si, era lei che ispirava e conduceva la direzione.

[@MaestroWenarto]

thank you, great sound!

[@beachfanatic2010]

She still had some of the vocal weight she had as a heavy woman here although even in this recording the voice has 1/2 the weight her voice naturally and originally she had pre 1952. This is one of her best performances on record.

[@Shahrdad]

Agree, though you can hear a change in the voice already in 1954. As she lost the weight, the voice itself lost some of its "padding" and plushness, and she started having issues with controlling the wide vibrato on softer high notes. The high E-flats still pop out nicely here, though not with the same ease as six months earlier. I can even hear a difference between her May Florence Medea and her December Scala Medeas. I can already hear a reduction in power and plushness in those six months as she reduced. I have played recordings for opera novices of the same aria sung a year or two apart, and in every single instance, they've been able to identify correctly the "fat" voice from the "thin" voice.

[@ioSonoCallas]

The problem for a singer who lost a lot of weight is the muscles! Indeed, when a singer loses weight it's preferable to slow down considerably the career because in an intensive slimming (like that Callas), the muscles decrease before the fat. It's necessary to re-muscle first and to restart after the vocal technique exercises in order to adapt the voice to its new receptacle. This avoids losing control of the high register and maintaining a stable vibrato. About the vocal thickness (the power) it decreases irreparably with weight loss!

[@Shahrdad]

@@ioSonoCallas Muscle loss is certainly a part of it, but heavy people also tend to exhale more forcefully even without engaging their muscles (which is extreme cases become severe restrictive lung disease and Pickwickian breathing pattern). In essence, a bit of extra weight can add to the vocal support, even without having to engage the musculature. Debra Voigt expressed it well when she said that when she was fat, she would take a breath in, the weight would kick in and give it that "whoomph" and the sound would go flying out. When the weight was gone, so was that whoomph. When the weight is an integral part of a singer's supporting mechanism, any tampering with this finely tuned machine can lead to vocal disaster, especially if the singer has learned to sing and has perfected their technique with a large body. Voigt said that after she lost weight, she had to be super aware of her breathing, and if she didn't pay attention, she would begin to stack breaths and crack. This "whoomph" that comes with some extra weight might also explain why so many great singers are on the heavy side.

[@harrymullany4789]

I wish people would stop harping on about the fat and the skinny. Callas could deliver extraordinary voice/sound/personality regardless of her physical size. It is ridiculous to presume opera singers can deliver greater vocal sonority proportionate to their girth. Look at great singers in history - very few were fatties.

[@beachfanatic2010]

@@harrymullany4789 What we are talking about is a FACT! When Callas loss all that weight she loss all of the ginormous muscle mass she had been building for over 25 years of singing.

[@mao1878]

Some say her 1955 Berlin take on the role is her best… i find this one and the even earlier ones even more interesting! Too bad the sound is so bad :((

[@Shahrdad]

I've always liked her '53 EMI recording the best. She still had her real, pre-weight loss voice there, and the high notes just popped out. And all the expression was already there.

[@MrYonexguy63]

I dislike the dry boxy sound of the 53 EMI...the voice seems more plummy even in this bad sound.

[@Leanrosso]

NO SE PUEDE COMPARAR SEMEJANTE NIVEL ARTISTICO MAS QUE CON EL PASADO Y CON ARTISTAS TAN INCREIBLES QUE ESTAN MAS ALLA DE LA RACIONALIDAD/ENTENDIMIENTO/ANALISIS.

[@wilmajanesandbergen4061]

Thé public reacties is proof it all!

[@kiimmaritz2827]

Sound not good..but her voice superb

[@antben8992]

Mi sembra più alta di mezzo tono rispetto alla stessa edizione che ho in vinile, può essere o sbaglio. Ad ogni modo sempre bellissima!

[@JoseReyes-qt4gv]

ÚNICA!!!

[@evgeny9965]

Caticlismic pandemonium!!!!

[@vivianbelissima]

La piu brava

[@mistersmith1883]

Her artistry performing the best works by the best composers. Its too much. The quality is awful but ask me if i care... nay

[@mavoisine3]

Netrebko is the only modern-day singer who can rival Callas. Just as good.

[@riccardoguardini7406]

I WISH SHE WAS STILL WITH US

[@MrYonexguy63]

Netrebko cant even sing a clean and musical line. She should have stuck with Adina, or even w the War and Peace. Arts standards are in the toilet.

[@christophenicolas8230]

non mais..............on peut lire beaucoup de bêtises.................. comment peut on comparer ??????????????????? surtout qu'il y a beaucoup d'autres chanteuses que Netrebko

[@aljavier2927]

You can't ewn compare!

[@mk5244]

…anyone who takes a closer look into life and artistry of Maria Callas will not even think of comparisons with an contemporary singer. In whatever respect. There is the time b. C. and the time a. C. ( Franco Zeffirelli)