D'amore al dolce Impero

[janejones11]

amazing vocal feats here!

[LohengrinT]

@tadcastria

Callas sings a complete 16 second vocal line with one breath in the 1952 Covent Garden Norma in the recitative Ei tornera... in the phrase Come del primo amor... where she ascends in a D6 sustains it then spins her voice and goes down and all that last 16 complete seconds! Up to now I have only heard Bartoli sustain a "curled" vocal line (one sustained tone is much easier and some have held it up to 22 seconds) 16 complete seconds

[killerbunny123123]

i think this aria is a fine example of all of her voice's abilities and skill as well as technique.....I used to hate her voice and always thought that there are sopranos better than her but....well! You try to find a soprano that sings this aria half as good as La Divina!

[pointemeout]

tears are the only things that can describe this sort of talent:

or at least that how my body processes this all. :]

[MAPIAKALLAS]

wow that last three notes out of this world now who can sing those notes like her and that perfect whooo anyone today... brava divina.

[LazarNewDeal]

These photos are from the rehearsals with Luchino Visconti of the "La Vestale" production at La Scalla.

[operaholic001]

I didn't mean it in an offensive way ... but I have no idea of the site

[JesusFan]

I understand, I didn't take offense to it.

[JesusFan]

Maria Callas Owns.

BTW, I think that photo is amazing, do you happen to know where that's from?

[operaholic001]

thanks... I just googled ...

[JesusFan]

oh, DUH! I feel so slow now, why didn't I try that?! lol

[ubedajils]

@JesusFan Si no me equivoco, corresponde a algún momento de los ensayos de Alceste.

[LohengrinT]

One of the most beautiful arias Rossini ever wrote that depicts the "ups and downs" of true Love by the endless runs of the voice in a range that covers almost 3 octaves (G3 to E6flat).

Callas is an unsurpassed vocal Goddess in this recoding

[Aetion]

It couldn't be said better. Thanks for sharing, Dear friend.

[skitzo429]

@LohengrinT there is no high Eb in this recording, she adds several high Ds.

[primohomme]

@skitzo429

Gurl you need to get your "perfect pitch" fixed

Because the note at 5:37 is an Eb6.

[LohengrinT]

@skitzo429

well known for years that in those three hit notes at 5:38 she added an Eb6 :)) You probably refer to the long-held-smashing-everything-­that-exists-in-the-House-tone at 6:47 which indeed is a D6

[skitzo429]

@LohengrinT Oh, I didnt realize this was raised to Gb, 6:47 is also an Eb6

[LohengrinT]

@skitzo429

again no 6:47 is clearly a D6

[skitzo429]

@LohengrinT You're not approaching this like a musician, you cant just check the pitch of one note out of context. Check the key, shes singing it in Gb, and any musician can hear that high note is clearly scale degree 6 (La), which is Eb in this key, D natural isnt even in this key. Don't be one of those youtube people who dont know what theyre talking about that just check individual notes against a piano, thats never accurate.

[LohengrinT]

@skitzo429

i see you have invented a whole new stupidity about your inability to sense pitch correctly :))

Dont get frustrated not all people can sense pitch correctly, in fact very few can

[skitzo429]

@LohengrinT Actually, I teach aural skills classes at a college of music and I have graduate music degrees, you're not right, sorry. Not everyone you talk to on the internet is a novice, you should drop the superiority complex, being obsessed with Maria Callas does not mean you know what youre talking about. EVERYONE knows there is not a D natural in Gb major.

[LohengrinT]

@skitzo429

yes I will drop the superiority complex and start listening to the nobodies you teach in your class - sorry no :p I prefer listening to the Giants which include a few more than Callas (Fleming, Podles, Schwarzkopf :) but omg sorry not 5th class coloraturas like Devia :))

[skitzo429]

@LohengrinT You really just don't understand, this doesnt have anything to do with what singers you listen to, this is simple key and pitch relationships. I dont train opera singers, I train musicians how to hear things correctly. You're not someone I can continue to argue with, because you clearly don't have any concept of musical diatonicism or how different keys work. Listen to the high notes at 5:38 and 6:47, if you cant hear those are the same note (Eb6) your a musical imbecile.

[skitzo429]

@LohengrinT listen to primohomme hes an educated musician and knows I'm right.

[primohomme]

@skitzo429

I think you are right, those are indeed Eb6's

Now, we could argue that either this performance is:

1- In a higher key, which is strange considering Callas had low notes like a contralto and didn't need to sing it in a higher key, but possible

2- The playback speed has been messed with and moved by a half step, which is likely but we would hear the tempo much faster than shown here (as it happens when someone adjusts the speed of tape).

[gyrene1966]

OMG magnificent and magnetizing.

This woman is amazing!

[WiseMonki]

This cannot be beat... even La Caballe says this. from 5:30 onwards gosh... lol. great post, my warm regards,