Maria Callas: Good Italian Opera (Juilliard Masterclass)

[georgerannie]

She could be sooooooo exciting.

[annajeehee]

Don't worry about it - I didn't know until I graduated from ther-lol

[annajeehee]

Can you please spell my school Juilliard right in this video

[VivaMariaCallas]

@annajeehee I actually always thought it was spelled 'Julliard.' Thanks for correcting me.

[maxandteddy10]

i dont lik a lot of opera but this is good

[camtep2you]

una regina della interpretazione !!!

[bodiloto]

La Callas in ogni suono e sublime!

Come una Dea come la Callas può spiegare a noi i mortali cosa è l'emozione vera Artistica?

E semplicemente assurdo,l'arte e nel suo sangue,nel suo cuore.

Questa lezione di canto e un bellissimo esempio che di creare la voce e la sua forza artistica sono un affare personale,intimo:

Sublime la Callas,quante volte mostra cantando a questo allievo come

come si deve esprimere,come si crea la EMOZIONE.

SUBLIME!!!

[nohpiano]

EVERYONE should pay attention to her rhythmic sense...and watch the famous DVD of the second act of Tosca, in which she and Gobbi must have been an orchestra's dream, because everything they do bounces off the orchestra rhythmically. Just watch the opening of O Don Fatale on here and see how the rhythmic drama goes from head to toe, and NEVER messes with the orchestra

[Rigelcentauri58]

How i wish she had sung the complete aria. In her voice it would have sounded

marvelous, stunning!!

[BarleyFuch]

@jonniekees ey man if u dont like it dont watch it but plz keep ur messed up comments to uself

[RozzyMoko]

Listening to this makes me want to dress up in a slick, black suit, and spray a tommy gun into a crowd of my enemies.

[BimmelBimmel]

She was such a great artist!! In her masterclass she was nor afraid to sound "ugly" in order to explain something to her students or to express an emotion like she did whe she was on stage! She just opened her soul...from the inside out. without thinkin about the voice itself

[Rachey827]

Very lovely singing, very lovely :)

[filippovonreutter]

pedestals/talk of how she died/ what her mother was like. Why doesn't anyone listen to the amazing soundscape that this lesson reveals? It is as if instead of listening to Beethoven's symphonies we spent all our time SUPPOSING that he his greatness stemmed from his once having eaten a bowl of strawberries (there is documentation to prove it he once ate straberries). Callas was one of the greats of her century. Period. We are interested in her art. The National Enquirer can take care of the rest

[wattever333]

the sound is bad at the end, I can't understand what she is saying. she is probably far from the microphone. I wonder if it can be improved with software.

[VivaMariaCallas]

This is what she says. Sorry if it is not completely accurate:

"...what I say here is general with all opera.  Only with, uh, this opera... well, this and also others, Gioconda are this style, is very, very Italian, very open. You got to let go. You do the studying at home. But, on stage, within, always and always half of the brain, a brain that is working for you, keeping you on, like a train on the track. But at a certain moment you have to let go. Just free".

[VivaMariaCallas]

Divina records released all the masterclasses in clear sound. divinarecords . com

[wattever333]

thank you.

[galehout]

@VivaMariaCallas 3:13-25 and 4:33-39 are very indicative of the teachings of a great singer but also of the impossibilities. It is not just to combine words and music, but to understand THROUGHT WORDS ("son sempre un servo ..." uccido, e tremo ") the right accent musical wanted by the composer, and NOT VICE VERSA. It 'very difficult, and indeed the student continues to sing in the usual way without understanding ...:-)

[TheFreeztime]

iii love Operaaa

[gharusa]

Callas always gave us her best. What a unique voice.

[VivaMariaCallas]

Ok, this 'debate' is getting ugly, please stop.

[Mr54vasilios]

Its too late. The fates have written it in stone. She is a legend. History is speaking for her. There is nothing anyone can do about it. No other singer had such an impact on an audience. She was gifted, smart, an actress of the highest order, armed with a voice that was marred by her hard work and perfectionism. May she rest in opera heaven or wherever opera singers go when they are finished singing.

[filippovonreutter]

@Mr54vasilios She is a legend and history is speaking for her. The fates have written it in sound.

[Rory1956]

I cannot think of anything less American then Callas. She never, at any stage in her life considered herself American. And why should she? What did this Country do for her, after all? Her career took off in Greece and consolidated in Italy, Country to which she owes the most (as she also often reiterated). Finally, she found refuge and comfort in Paris and she also recognised her debt to France. But never to America.

[filippovonreutter]

@Rory1956 Despite Nicola Rescigno's empathetic support the Dallas orchestra kept breaking down during rehearsals. They didn't have a clue as to the rubato that Italian bel canto entails.

[Neanderthalgirl]

Many words but nothing groundbreaking.

You read one book about Callas and now, you're the great expert?

The myth Callas is based in the main on exaggerations, lies, lurid headlines and bad music material. In her era she profited from stupid, pliable persons who thought Callas was a Cinderella from a Hollywood production. We feel called upon to explode the myth Callas and show you up and all maudlin dreamer.

Wake up ....... dopy gaucho!!!

[filippovonreutter]

generation after generation of useless fruit flies use up their two seconds in the light to venomously trash genius.

Mercifully these parasitic F.F.s sink almost instantly back into oblivion while the legendary greats live on.

[filippovonreutter]

Suggestion for VivaMariaCallas: Congratulations! Perhaps it is time for you to start a page where you could edit out some of the trashy vultures that feed on Callas'

genius.

[VivaMariaCallas]

Thank you for your suggestion. I don't like deleting other people's comments for two main reasons: (a) I believe that everyone has a right to voice their opinions; & (b) I have better things to do than try to filter all comments. I do realize that some of the comments are rather nasty, but it is a reflection on the poster's character. If you don't like the tone of some of the comments, you are free to mark the posts as spam.

[wattever333]

or to give a thumbs_down. Spam is something else. Spam is when it's not on topic or PURPOSEFULLY irritating. Some of what she writes is obviously spam, and some is not.

[VivaMariaCallas]

I disabled thumbs up/down on all my videos because people were given positive comments thumbs down just because they don't like the singers featured on the video. I am speaking specifically of my Gencer Forza del destino video in particular. Posts were being rated thumbs down just because Gencer has a lot of haters who obviously don't even listen to the performances. I don't view the thumbs up/down system as a legitimate form of expressing opinion.

[VivaMariaCallas]

If you or anyone sees a user who is being an obvious nuisance, please send me a PM so I can look into it further. I will consider blocking such people.

[wattever333]

Thank you for turning it off. I think an opinion is an opinion, and they should not be rated or censured.

What bugs me is the following pattern:

positive comments get thumbs up.

negative comments get thumbs down.

I think that's childish, and it kills interest.

And often it's not even negative, it's kind of neutral. If I say the 1953 Tosca was better than the 1964 one, people will give me thumbs down. Ridiculous.

Usually it's the "gushers", those who say "SHUT UP! Callas was a goddess!"

[wattever333]

some people have 10 different youtube accounts, so you know that if you get 10 thumbs down after 2 minutes, it's all the same person. It's the same mentality as "Vote For The Worst" in the first years of American Idol. People want youtube, imdb, facebook, etc. to fail.

[VivaMariaCallas]

I agree with you about the thumbs up/down concept. Definitely happens on Callas pages. Similar things happens regarding most of the big artists (ie. Tebaldi, Domingo in an anti sort of way, etc.). But your hypothetical is quite true & actually a bit funny. They pretend that the wobble never happened. Which is sad because obviously they miss the whole point of Callas.

We must feel sorry for those who have so many different accounts to give thumbs up and down. They must live miserable lives.

[wattever333]

see what the other guy wrote just now? That's the kind of crap I can't stand. He puts her on a pedestal and treats her like a goddess, and a saint that he prays to, and she will tell you what to do with your life, etc. pure crap. that guy is insane.

[VivaMariaCallas]

I don't really mind when people put her on a pedestal, ultimately that is what happens when people are idolized.  What I find annoying are those generalized comments that some people seem to copy & paste onto so many videos. It is as if they are out to prove that they love, say, Callas or Tebaldi (they are the two that seem to get the most of those kinds of comments). I don't think it is crazy. It's just sheer insecurity of one's own convictions.

[wattever333]

YES!! "out to prove" !!! and nobody cares whether they love XYZ or not.

This guy says that Callas was "strong". Umm, sorry, no, she was not. And he says that we should refer to her in all aspects of our life. Sorry, but that is insane. Soon he will be saying that she solved world hunger and invented the wheel.

[VivaMariaCallas]

I don't think that he/she's entirely wrong. I feel that she was strong in her professional life, especially for someone who was by nature introverted. No one can achieve what she achieved without having extremely strong will and determination. Plus, having to fight the press was not helpful, but of course this was in some ways a by-product of her having to create a 'strong' image. In some aspects of her personal life, she was also strong. ie. dealing with her domineering mother.

[VivaMariaCallas]

Obviously, her romantic life is a completely different issue, as she wilted like a flower in the winter. Ultimately, I feel that her life was a struggle between moral strength & weakness that, obviously, ended all the wrong way. The saddest thing is that she tried multiple times to fight (ie. the unmade Traviata performances & recordings, the concert tour, potential artistic endeavours after that), but lost her nerve.

[wattever333]

she should have chosen her battles better.

she was only strong when she had public and critical acclaim. after 1960, she was an emotional mess.

personal strength does NOT rely on others approval.

"if I can't sing, if they don't give me work in singing, teaching, staging, movies... I will let myself die."

Totally passive-aggressive, in the manner of the characters she portrayed.

[wattever333]

All this because she did not have smart people surrounding her. Did she have any real friends who said "come on, Maria, shake yourself up!!!" ? Maybe Di Stefano? What did Gobbi respond when she said to him "ogni giorno, grazie a dio, è un giorno di meno"

[sillyboydeux]

With that legacy, her attempt to resume a "normal life" ended tragically. Her expectations, redoubled by triumph after triumph, could not be met at any level, least of all artistically after being ravaged by the "cafe society" life with Onassis.

[sillyboydeux]

Truthfully, it's painfully obvious how her story evolved. From plain, pimply Mary Ann Callas of NYC to Athens Conservatory star pupil, to precocious diva in Greece (Fidelio at 18?) Of course her voice faltered at the end of the 50s, she was running on half full when La Scala hired her. Secondly, she worked as if there were 50 voices in her at all times (one for each roles she learned), making her accomplishments simply as a student of music stupefying and unprecedented.

[wattever333]

ok on one point: artistic integrity, insofar as producers will let us do things our own way. times have changed. we have to adapt to our times. she could not adapt to the opera world post 1965.

but that doesn't mean we can use her as a role model for "strength in our lives". after 1959, she was always depressed! 18 year depression. This is not a role model for personal strength. Let's get our moral and emotional role models elsewhere please! she would be the first one to admit that.

[wattever333]

I mean, mygad! there are 6 billion people on this earth. Let's not put all our needs on the shoulders of someone who had a million personal problems.

I admire her for her performances, technique, professionalism (not bitching during rehearsals, coming prepared, etc.), musical skills, etc. and for the way she taught in the masterclasses.

For other things (managing career, emotional health, love life, social skills), I will look elsewhere.

[sillyboydeux]

but wattever333, the most outstanding and enduring characteristic of this "someone" was her charisma, physically, emotionally (people love to know their idols are fucked up, they can fantasize about rescuing them!) but also musically; the voice captivates a new listener, or repels them, unaccountably and inexplicably. It is done in such a subtle, skillful manner that no one can resist the voice for long, obviously. You cannot make sense of a sensation, pure and simple.

[wattever333]

I didn't say she wasn't interesting.

Look at the post I was replying to, you will understand. Unfortunately youtube does not make it easy to follow threads, as imdb does.

[Neanderthalgirl]

no problem at all for a Mezzo like Callas.

[filippovonreutter]

@Neanderthalgirl Just finished reading "The unknown

Callas/ The Greek Years" by Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis.

Fascinating! The Mezzo controversy was there from the time Maria was 14. Few people realize how hard Maria had to work in order to strengthen her low notes.

[zizeus]

Soprano

[SweetFiness]

ah I love to hear how she really digs in the words singing "Uccido e tremo"

She should have recorded baritone arias...lol

[wattever333]

why not! good idea.

[unitedstatesofeminem]

beautiful

[finisquo]

Qué inteligencia musical tan extraordinaria, qué interpretación, y qué energía.

Las clases magistrales en la Julliard School son parte de legado musical de Callas.

Ecco un artista!

[jazzychazzy007]

Zva26, again you hit the nail on the head! People, and I am a person who appreciates what all singers do, they are all great to stand on stage and do what they do, but CALLAS was above all of them. Just listen to her early live performances and the voice, the technique, the interpretation were all there that carried her through her years, she had it all, no one else can make that claim. When you listen to the Andrea Chenier, my god, she is so exciting!!!!!

[dormondis]

ZVA26

why you write such a bullshit? Are you sitting in a nuthouse?

I think you're sick and you have absolutely no notion from opera. A voice who sounds like a monkey in rain forest cannot be a gift. It's an insult for every ear.

[Zva26]

DORMONDIS: You comments say a lot more about you than they do about either me or Callas. As a Professor Emeritus of the Curtis Institute, I think that my PhD. in Music qualifies me to make such a call. I don't know what you've accomplished in your life, but I can assure you that Callas will be remembered long after you and I are long forgotten. Her place in music history is quite secure, and her legacy etched in stone.

And what is YOUR legacy??

[wattever333]

Zva26:

wow. do we need to have a PhD to vote in elections?

a real professor would NEVER stoop so low as to use his titles as justification of his opinions.

and real professors don't gush and lash out, they speak more calmly and rationally.

and a professor emeritus would not refer to a diploma he earned 40 years ago.

and no, I'm not saying I agree with the other guy.

[Zva26]

Callas' voice here may sound somewhat threadbare, but it makes no difference. She brings more life to music even under these circumstances than anyone else could EVER. La Divina in her prime was a soprano "sfogato", and could and did sing everything. She IS the Mount Olympus of opera, and no soprano will EVER, EVER possess the special and unique gifts that Callas possessed. She turned her vocal imperfections into assets. We will not encounter her like again.

[filippovonreutter]

@Zva26 I am reading a book you surely would find fascinating

"The Unknown Callas/The Greek years" by Nicholas Petsalis-Diomedes (which according to John Ardoin will "stand as the final word on the subject"). Yes, she remains the Mount Olympus of opera.

[GoBogi]

She isn't the Mount Olympus of Opera, she was just a good Mezzo who was able to strengthen the top of her voice enough to sing more roles than most modern Singers would dare to. Not only more roles, but more role diversity. The woman could sing almost any Mezo or Soprano role because she pretty much morphed into an Assoluta from singing Soprano with her voice type. As far as turning her imperfections into assets... Nothing can make a terrible voice sound good - even great acting. Sorry.

[zizeus]

YOu have no idea what you re talking about!

[dormondis]

@dbkatz7286

Well, to be perfectly honest, your O MIO BABBINO CARO is much better.

Callas is the Queen of technique but her voice sounded metallic and shrill. Sorry, but your voice is sweeter and more lovely and your technique is good too.

[gharusa]

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BARITONE VOICE

[sillyboydeux]

Callas was funny at times, so dedicated to whatever activity lay before her, almost a mania. But when she admonishes the audience to stop applauding, it's too much to bear. Who could resist screaming "Brava diva" to the most dynamic singer of her generation, sitting but 10 feet from us, as she whales through a difficult baritone aria like she was dusting off an old picture? Those E-sharps were beautifully sung. Her middle voice still sounds raspy. The Paris "Ah perfido" 1975 has none of that.

[wattever333]

"Who could resist screaming "Brava diva" to the most dynamic singer of her generation, sitting but 10 feet from us, " etc.etc.

The answer to your question is: anyone who has taken lessons with someone famous. And famous people like to be treated as regular people. Nobody sees themselves as a god. That's ridiculous. She was a professional, not a diva. Her main "problem' was not knowing how to play "the game", how to hide her humanity. And that is something I find endearing.

[wattever333]

And they were not applauding her, they were applauding the guy, he had just finished singing something loud and high, if I remember well.

[sillyboydeux]

I accept what you say, not as truth but as how you see it from your own experience. She most certainly was a diva, not at Jiulliard, certainly, but look at the Avedon photos. Correction: she was THE diva. There are those who came after her and were hilariously inept at pulling it off. As for her public/private conflict; God doesn't give us what we cannot handle, and in her case, she received the lion's share of abuse and resentment, because she changed opera, and performance standards, forever.

[wattever333]

I meant diva as in "wanting to be worshipped". She was just trying to be her best and look her best. She was human. She might even have been misguided by some PR people.

[sillyboydeux]

Boy, you said it, as well as others in the musical theatrical field in Italy, who should remain nameless because it's cold potatoes. But she was continuously lured into friendships (look at the Greek ogre himselfOnassis, or "Old Nasty"), only to be betrayed by them to the press and other venues. In the end there was a reason that she couldn't trust anyone, I am sure. All this for music? Was it really worth it? Only God really knows!

[wattever333]

meneghini, elsa maxwell, onassis.

[sillyboydeux]

Amen!

[wattever333]

"own asses" bought Picassos by the meter (like fabric) to decorate his yacht's mahogany walls. He only wanted to own Callas. And she was so naive. And nobody helped her, nobody told her the truth about life. When she was depressed, somebody should have told her "go work in a soup kitchen, help the poor" to rattle her cage a little.

Prince William scrubbed toilets. Queen Elisabeth fixed military jeeps in WWII.

[belmanotre]

GOOD NEWS dear Callas fans!!!! Striker capitulates! The automated production of feces is over. He's a nervous wreck because the great Filaredo gang has destroyed the white knight on his black donkey. Striker, you are alone in a hopeless plight!Go home and lick your wounds!!! Hoohooohaahaahhhaaa..... what a wonderful world...!!! Striker is only a picture of misery.....LOL

[VivaMariaCallas]

Well, those kind of comments warrant no opinion/comment.

[ProteusX2]

if you listen VERY closely you can hear a copy of the recording underneath itself a little lagged :)

[wattever333]

isn't that typical of cassettes?

[RonaldBarone]

She may didnt have the most beautiful voice ( well, I love her voice but everytime I say she had the most beautiful voice, ppl get mad at me lol so...) but Callas didnt sing opera, she was OPERA, she had the power to make you belive whoever she was doing, that person was really her. What made so hard for other sopranos, because after you saw Callas, other sopranos would appear as just ppl singing opera on stage and not accting, singing, living the role.

[dbkatz7286]

i AGREE!!! I LOVE CALLAS!! She truly was OPERA!!! A person could/can get lost in the world of opera when Callas was singing, believe that she was Tosca, Norma, every role!! VIVA CALLAS!!!

[wattever333]

ronaldbarone: say what you feel like saying and to hell with what anybody anybody else thinks! dammit. love callas, hate callas. don't apologize for your opinions.

Callas sang opera like a good conductor prepares a symphony. She sang like a trained musician. She did not sing like a person who only got training from a voice teacher.

[RonaldBarone]

I really love her.

Serious... she is a true inspiration for anything in life,

Whatever you dream about, it can be anything, just pay attention to her, how she saw life and how she was so strong and never gave up. We are talking about a woman with a very very strong will. No matter what you want to accomplish in life, if you have the same dedication you will be on top of the world like she was and still... you will be a legend

[filippovonreutter]

since anyone with a click or two can put in 20 seconds of research this entire conversation concerning the nationality a waste of time. I imagine Cavaradossi 81's comments of Spanish origin were made ironically (with tongue in cheek)

[callimacos]

She was Greek,born in the Usa,but she went back very soon to Greece...in the 1949 she became italian citizen with the marriage of G.B:Meneghini and she became famous at ''La Scala'' in Milan....in spain she did nothing,she was not planning to make a CORRIDA;LOL

[obcbddcb]

i dunno who wrote that the Divina was born in Spain, but that person is REALLY stupid, everyone knows where she was born, come on...

[Rory1956]

At least it should be a well know fact that she was Greek, never mind where she was born. She was quintessential Greek. She was 'adopted' by the Italians and she made 'her main career' (her own words) in Italy where she became the darling of the Teatro alla Scala.

[zizeus]

She was american from greek origins, listen to her greek and it s heavy accented! nothing to do with someone who was born in greece! she was american!

[Philmoscowitz]

this is great.  it's so interesting to hear the instruction. in these masterclasses, is it usual to have an audience? and who gets to sit in the audience, anybody?

[wattever333]

philmoscowitz: yes. that's the way masterclasses are done. usually anybody can attend. and most of the time, they are free!!! Contact your closest university or conservatory. You will be happily surprised. (I'm amazed nobody answered you!!!)

[realgreekmusic]

Iam sorry dear sir but you are not from any planet all!

Maria Callas was born Anna Maria Kalogeropoulou in New York, a daughter of Evaggelia Dimitriadis and George Kalogeropoulos (later changed to Callas)!!

Every on on this world knows it!

[Cavaradossi1981]

hahaha, tin patises filarako!!! dio apo tous kaliterous filous mou itan sinergates kai simmathites tis Callas, o Nikos Zaxariou (Nicola Zaccaria) pou emene sto kolonaki, kai i Zoitsa Vlachopoulou (Zoe Vlachopoulos) pou emene stin Kifisia. Les na min xero tin katagogi tis Callas? Afou omos grafei tetoies paparies o "geisterseher", ti na tou apantiso? xaxaxaxaxaxa, ante trava na fas kanan kourampie tora

[Cavaradossi1981]

pou tha mou matheis kai tin Callas...anathema se ki an xereis kai allous ellines lirikous tragoudistes opos i Amaxopoulou, i Souliotis, i Glantzi etc etc...to poli pink floid kai o polis mikis vlaptoun sovara tin klassiki liriki paideia.sou proteino to vivlio "ellines lirikoi tragoudistes".tha to vreis se kala vivliopoleia tis athinas

[realgreekmusic]

I poiotita tis"klassikis" paideias sou, fainetai apo tin poiotita ton apantiseon sou!

Pragmatika lypamai!!

[geisterseher]

was maria callas from greece??

[PISICASALBATICA]

yes she was from Greece ,but in the last part of her life she lived in Paris .

[andrechenier100]

She was actually born in 1923 in New York City of Greek immigrant parents. Her parents divorced and her mother moved back to Greece in 1937 with her.

[dosquinientos]

geisterseher,

She was from a higher sphere, from the world of "bel canto".

Listen to hoe she pronounces the words ("pur/peggio) and digs into the words-

[Cavaradossi1981]

from which planet have you arrived? Maria Callas was of course from Spain.Her real name was Maria Clara Alcalá, and she turned it to Callas after she moved to Greece with her mother in 1937.Her aunt was her teacher Elvira Rodriguez De Hidalgo

[geisterseher]

actually i made a research about this and t turns out that she was from greece...i think that the other guys above are right!

[Cavaradossi1981]

oh my gosh!!!! OF COURSE MARIA CALLAS WAS FROM GREECE!!!!! you don't even have to research about that!!!!!! that's a fact!!!!! hahah But I can understand you...Until yesterday I didn't knew also that Miley Cyrus comes from Tennessee lol

[blixa078]

You're fucking damn stupid. Of course she wasn't from Spain, what did make you believe in that? She was born in New York, thats in America if you're so stupid and don't know and she then moved to Greece to study music as her mother found the talent in her. And after she studied in Greece she moved then to US again....

[Cavaradossi1981]

no, she was from Spain. The street she was born was Deu i Mata in Barcelona

[fpngan]

God, what a voice!!

[AEmylia24]

She is my idol. Sadly, she did appear to die of a broken heart. Deep sadness. The fool Onassis pestered her madly even after his marriage to the avaricious Jackie Kennedy.

[leonelfran]

A similar story and talent as Edith Piaf!

[AEmylia24]

2 different stories, I feel. Piaf was wonderful (I recently performed Milord, had a hard and malnourished beginning. Marion Cotillard is brilliant in the recent film. However, Piaf was already a heroin addict,6 shots per day just to live and get on stage. Callas didn't have that self-destructive biochemistry + was certain of her gift if not her detractors. Also, opera requires intense training which peaks age 40/50, way beyond other vocal genres.

[leonelfran]

Good point.

[dosquinientos]

Piaf was a natural. Callas studied and studied and studied and studied and had enough technique to fill the teaching staff of nine conservatories.

[ozziegirl70]

Did she really die from a broken heart? She is so beautiful and graceful...

[titanfan5]

I'm a huge fan of Maria Callas. I bought her complete masterclasses and I use them all the time as a voice student. I truly recommend it to others. Great vid! Keep posting!

[zafireh]

yes, you can learn so much from listening her masterclasses!you understand how she worked and why she did the things in the way she did.

it's just dangerous as a soprano to try to imitate her!

[Angeltots]

from where did u buy it?

[bunnierabbits]

i agree with you. i love callas but criticizing her without listening to her voice would truly make him or her an idiot.

[pziglioli]

Superb lesson, as always in her masterclasses. Every artist, not only singers, should study these recordings over and over again.

[eze102]

What a tragedy for this amazing woman. She died like her operas. Just like Vissi d'arte she lived for art and she lived for love. Poverina Maria her only love was her art. Her music loved her more than the men in her life and she has left us artist a legend.

[Icelandicmoi]

didn't she die more as a result of, and shortly after the loss of Aristotle?

[sillyboydeux]

She died unlike her operas, from qualude overdose. Don't romanticize her life after she left Italy. It's not pretty.

[moderndivo]

shes so amazing!!!!!

[tenornmd]

Whenever I read about these masterclasses, they appear as somewhat of a footnote (although there has been a play, of course). But from a musical and artistic standpoint, they are were simply amazing. Her understading and connection with the music/text. And a baritone aria, no less! I'm willing to bet that if she continued along the path of these masterclasses, she'd still be here today.

[pixiecherries]

A rare glimpse behind the scenes. Makes me love her even more if that is possible.

[leadingbyxample]

I don't disagree with you...Callas is by far my favorite singer, bottom line! She is amazing.

[AlexiouValenti]

She is so remarkable!!! This IS inspirational!!And I think that her voice is beautiful though I know that most will disagree with me!! not perfect maybe but beautiful!!

[kbooby1st]

figaronight is an fwit. obviously knows nothing about music... probably likes Brintey Spears and Paris Hilton's music

[A7sogno]

this is a piece of living emotion, as such, a master class liberating the novice to expand, at least HAVE an imagination. Magnificent!!!!

be quiet little people and enjoy if your little minds will embrace this extremely precious document of a transcendental artist. divina vera

[12010830]

she is better than the student...

[dosquinientos]

yes, but then she also happened to be the most interesting and complete singer of the 20th century, so you can hardly are making a fair comparison.

[egymagyar1111111]

I am not making a fair comparison I am highlighting how important is to be aware what music is about and how to express it and mostly be able to do so even after a holy carreer and all achievement, we are on the same track aren't we?

[mozartmaid]

No mattter how you criticize Callas you can't say that she didn't leave her soul in every note she sang. How many 'perfect' sopranos give you that??!

[pulpo1972]

hey, operacollector...why are you so angry with the world? Callas was an honest artist who inspired generations of great singers. why slamming her like that?

[xafnndapp]

whoops, you forgot again your prozac....

[pirocagrande]

you are a SHITcollector!

[12010830]

you pure idiot, she studied the role not only learned and made herself the role and her voice can not be described as beautiful because she did not care she expressed everything and perfectly, and in her greatest moment her voice had been the best ever and beautiful, when you listen how she can show a bass or a bariton how to sing their role is not just something it is science or art in its highest level please do not bother write shit, nobody wants to read envy you are ridiculous

[karalyeva1985]

what the hell are you talking about?

[dosquinientos]

some people are color blind. Others - like operacollector - are genuinely bel canto deaf. Technically, he is right concerning e-flats and wobbly high Cs, but from a spiritual standpoint operacollector would be better off collecting body building magazines and steroids for the vocal chords.

[Joyarkalions]

Figaronight, Callas had a perfect italian diction. My grandmother is italian, ok? About the metallic voice: it's a characteristic that appeared between 1955/56, and it began to be a problem later, around 1960. All of these problems you mentioned were typical of the sixties decade, so you can't jugde her by taking just that period as an example. I reccomend the records she made on the fifties for a better appreciation. Don't be mistaken: stereo recordings were not her best documents.

[Nornegest]

He is a dreamer, everyone. Let him pass.

[dorotheafayne]

Amazing! Beautiful and interesting! Dorothea

[VivaMariaCallas]

Is there a voice which IS 100% perfect? Give us a break.

[dugbin]

Yeah. Nobody is perfect. There is nothing that is 100% perfect. Not even voices. And megashega is right. Who are you to judge her? We don't need you here, figaronight. Get lost and give us a break!

[megashega]

hahaha who are you to judge her? go hide somewhere so noone sees you, you poor thing :(

[tafunebre]

drop dead.  she was a goddess; you are nothing.

[12010830]

you are right!!!

[dosquinientos]

sorry, figaronight. Time to talk the truth. By the time she got to Julliard for those master classes there was no voice. It wasn't there. which is why she was teaching and not on stage at the Metropolitan or La scala. And it was the fact that she had TECHNIQUE that she was able to go on singing so long after losing her voice. Moral of the story. If you are a singer don't let them smash in your nose out of vanity. Those sinuses are just as important for resonance as your vocal chords.

[linhcba]

I love the fact Maria Callas is as comfortable sharing her knowledge and skills as when she performs on stage. She is never shy when telling someone how to better themselves when singing. Maria Callas is the ultimate perfectionist when it comes to singing and performing. Viva La Divina! Thanks posting an awesome video, VivaMariaCallas.

[panheat]

Good to see you back posting videos at the highest level as ever. The choice of pictures and presentation, is outstanding Bravo!