Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
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I
started the Vinyl LP series because I have a collection of over 20,000 vinyl record albums I am
selling; each blog entry is about an album from my collection. The 101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes series is an extension of that collection. Inquire
for information here.
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One of the towering icons of opera history was the American-Greek soprano, Maria Callas. Callas was bigger than opera. She was bigger than life; no, ALL sopranos are bigger than life. Callas was bigger than Existence and she blazed with a brilliance that burned out too soon! This album is a testament to the miracle of her voice.
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
Almost
everyone knows the name, Maria Callas; even if they have never heard a
note of an opera, they have heard her name. She possessed what was called, "The Callas Sound." Callas, whose voice ranged from a mezzo-soprano to Soprano sfogato, had a notorious rivalry with opera superstar, Renata Tebaldi, an Italian lyrico spinto soprano. A critic wrote of her:
"Her secret is in her ability to transfer to the musical plane the suffering of the character she plays, the nostalgic longing for lost happiness, the anxious fluctuation between hope and despair, between pride and supplication, between irony and generosity, which in the end dissolve into a superhuman inner pain. The most diverse and opposite of sentiments, cruel deceptions, ambitious desires, burning tenderness, grievous sacrifices, all the torments of the heart, acquire in her singing that mysterious truth, I would like to say, that psychological sonority, which is the primary attraction of opera."Ethan Mordden wrote:
"It was a flawed voice. But then Callas sought to capture in her singing not just beauty but a whole humanity, and within her system, the flaws feed the feeling, the sour plangency and the strident defiance becoming aspects of the canto. They were literally defects of her voice; she bent them into advantages of her singing."
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
There
is a booklet with lyrics, notes, texts and translations included with
the tape; it is the size used for record albums so it is folded into a
small square.
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
booklet folded
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
booklet open
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
booklet & reel-to-reel tape box
photo by Styrous®
Born
in New York City, on December 2, 1923, Callas was raised by an overbearing
mother. She received her musical education in Greece and established her
career in Italy. Her battle with her weight was legendary and her vocal decline is attributed to it.
Callas was the toast of international society. She was the ultimate Greek Drama Queen onstage as well as in her personal life which included many scandals. Her affair with Aristotle Onassis while he was married (he later left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy) made headlines all over the world.
Callas burned with a fury while she lived. She died on September 16, 1977, of a heart attack in Paris, France. She was 53 years old.
Callas was the toast of international society. She was the ultimate Greek Drama Queen onstage as well as in her personal life which included many scandals. Her affair with Aristotle Onassis while he was married (he later left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy) made headlines all over the world.
Callas burned with a fury while she lived. She died on September 16, 1977, of a heart attack in Paris, France. She was 53 years old.
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape
photo by Styrous®
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera
7½ ips reel-to-reel tape label detail
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
1 - Orphée Et Eurydice - J’ai Perdu Mon Eurydice
2 - Alceste - Divinités Du Styx
3 - Carmen - L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle
4- Près Des Remparts De Séville
5 - Samson Et Dalila - Printemps Qui Commence
6 - Amour! Viens Aider Ma Faiblesse!
Side 2:
1 - Roméo Et Juliette - Valse-Je Veux Vivre
2 - Mignon - Polonaise-Je Suis Titania
3 - Le Cid - Pleurez, Mes Yeux (Air De Chimène)
4 - Louise - Depuis Le Jour
Companies, etc.:
Record Company – Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd.
Credits:
Conductor – Georges Prêtre
Liner Notes – Andrew Porter
Orchestra – French National Radio Orchestra*
Vocals – Maria Callas
Notes:
Comes with lyric booklet.
Columbia – ZS-35882
Format: 7½ ips reel-to-reel tape
Country: UK
Released: 1961
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera
Net links:
New York Times obituary
Links to music on YouTube:
Orphée Et Eurydice - J’ai Perdu Mon Eurydice
Alceste - Divinités Du Styx
Carmen - L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (LIVE)
Carmen - Près Des Remparts De Séville
Samson Et Dalila - Printemps Qui Commence Roméo Et Juliette - Valse-Je Veux Vivre
Mignon - Polonaise-Je Suis Titania
Le Cid - Pleurez, Mes Yeux (Air De Chimène) (live 1962)
Louise - Depuis Le Jour
Maria Callas Sings Great Arias From French Opera is for sale on eBay
Imperfect as her voice may have been; it was one to remember!
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, September 23, 2015
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