Maria Callas may have died on this day 47 years ago but her immortal voice lives on, along with her legend. It’s no mystery why Greeks, Italians and Americans, all claim Callas as theirs.
She was born Sophia Cecilia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulou on Dec. 2, 1923, in New York, her family name later shortened to Callas. Educated in Greece, she started performing at the age of 8.
She lived in New York for her first thirteen years. Though she then lived mostly in Europe, she also sang in the U.S. from 1954 to 1974 and English was her native language. She learned Greek from her parents.
In Verona she meets Giovanni Battista Meneghini, a wealthy industrialist who is passionate about opera. Twenty-eight years her senior, he became her impresario and then-husband in 1949.
In 1954 she lost around 30 kilos (66 pounds) and transformed into the ultimate diva, taking top parts in the most well-known operas.
Maria Callas reminded opera that it is also theatre
Callas reminded opera that it is also theatre, and that the “long lines of paunchy and plump singers that come along to push out a tune on centre stage are no longer acceptable,” as a French correspondent wrote after her death in 1977.
On January 2, 1958, Callas opens the Rome season with “Norma” in the presence of Italy’s president, Giovanni Gronchi. But at the end of the first act, she says she has lost her voice and refuses to continue.
The temperamental diva is accused of being capricious as there had been whistles during one of her arias. But she insists to the media: “As you could see, I could no longer speak.”
In 1959 Callas leaves Meneghini to embark on a passionate nine-year affair with shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Their idyll ends in 1968 when Onassis leaves Callas to marry the widowed Jackie Kennedy.
Tragic personal life
She did not marry Onassis, she once said, because “love is much better when you are not married.” She said she bore no ill will to Jackie Kennedy, and took the marriage “in her stride.”
A recently published book reveals shocking details about the tragic private life of one of the greatest opera sopranos of the 20th century.
“Cast A Diva: The Unknown Life of Maria Callas” by Lyndsey Spence, includes unknown details about Callas’ legendary marriage with Onassis. Through the personal letters of Callas, the book reveals shocking tidbits about the diva’s tempestuous relationship with Onassis. It also includes disturbing anecdotes about Callas’ early life with her verbally abusive mother who forced her to leave Greece to have an international singing career
Callas turns her back on opera in 1965. On February 20 she triumphs in “Tosca” in Paris. During a performance on May 29, she falls ill. On July 5, “despite the advice of her doctor,” she takes to the stage for the last time in London, with Queen Elizabeth II in the audience.
In 1973 Callas undertakes an international tour of recitals. In Paris, bouquets rained onto the stage, accompanied by standing ovations and cries of “Viva Maria,” even if the critics were less enthusiastic.
Callas dies at her Paris home on Sept. 16, 1977, aged 53, having suffered a heart attack.
Both Judi Dench and Meryl Streep have praised her acting. To create a characterization, Callas said, “listen to the music. You will find every gesture there.” She had a particular genius for studying the music and discovering the character in the score. Callas gave primacy to the music, while many singers and audience members focus on the words.
Mike Wallace interviewed her on “60 Minutes.” Wallace spent very little time talking to her about music. It was a waste to go for the jugular rather than revealing her artistry. Barbara Walters, whose close friend was Beverly Sills, did not do much better.
Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie
The Maria Callas biopic Maria, starring Angelina Jolie, had its world premiere in Venice in late August 2024.
The movie by Pablo Larrain was screened on the second day of the world-famous film festival.
“I relearned the word diva through Maria. What a diva is coming often from others’ perception of her, rather than what she thought and felt,” Angelina Jolie said at the premiere’s press conference.
“Maria Callas was actually one of the hardest working people, and I got to learn this directly from her. I followed the recordings of her teachings: she said that at first you need to understand the music and the composer and diligently practice, and only after that you let your emotions in. I was fortunate to be guided by Pablo Larrain who protected me in the process,” Jolie added.
“The bar in this that I would know if I did good enough [in the role] are the Maria Callas fans and those who love opera, and my fear would be to disappoint them,” the Hollywood star commented on her performance.
