Maria Callas: "Spargi d'amaro pianto" Lucia Donizetti, MET 1956

[babydrane]

what exactly is wrong with this recording? Would it really have been that much better with the Eflat? IMO, it is one of her best. The coloring of the voice is so light, I almost thought it wasn't her at first. I don't really miss the Eflat. The body of the aria is what impresses me and here she is as dizzy, crazy and blonde as ever...lol.

[Mekhaman]

Of course some "critics" love to pinpoint and supposedly "expose" Maria Calas' errors in this or that piece (thus mixing up true talent with mere, cold virtuosity) or even point their fingers at her purported "lack of technique", because, in a way, to criticize someone great makes them feel great as well. The truth is, however, that their stupidity only makes them even littler and Maria Callas even greater...

[belcantismo]

@Mekhaman Totally agree with you!

[sopranosd]

I don't know what all this talk is about her sounding better elsewhere. I guess there are recordings I need to discover. I don't hear her cole her, just her voice. I usually find her wobble annoying, even as I love her artistry. Her technique sometimes left something to be desired. Here she sounds better than I have heard her elsewhere. So NICE to hear voice sound fresh, sweet, unencumbered and wobble-free. Her coloratura is fabulous, as is her pitch. Brava Maria!

[belcantismo]

@sopranosd

Generally critics on Maria Callas are always on the late years,. the ones nearest to us and from which we have more recordings. But, please, do never forget that in early years her voice was p-e-r-f-e-c-t and s-u-b-l-i-m-e under every aspect !

[VivaMariaCallas]

Of course, there have been times during which she was in better voice. Nevertheless, her sing here is very beautiful indeed.

[InformedListener]

Whoa! A Callas "Spargi" without a High-Eflat? OK...I read the other comment about her being sick during the season. Smart choice. I prefer to remember this exquisitely sung aria without a climactic squawk in the name of courage. There was nothing to prove, we know that Callas was fearless...anyone heard her essay of "Mercè, dilette amiche" from Vespri Siciliani with a cold? She went for the High-E and despite an initial flub, she nailed and held it. Fierce!

[distefano13069609]

@InformedListener yes she had a BAD cold, and plus she had just recorded non stop i think about 3 operas in studio, plus a lucia in naples.. so she had a rough time during this season...

[GLIFOKOLI]

Невероятной силе и уникальным чувством.

[flickfi]

Callas IS Lucia.

Magnificent, the passion and drama she brought to role is unsurpassed.

Many thanks for this and your other Callas posts.

[tissetatten]

WOW !!!

[distefano13069609]

To all you Non-Callas knowing people, stop it with your nasty coments, and remember that Maria had a cold during this met season, and still decided to sing!!! BRAVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA­AAAAAAAA!!!

[luvxl]

Fabulous

Breath taking

So freaking awesome that she doesn't need to put that fake E at the end, now that's music

[AuthenticFeirce]

Agreed.

[carlissima28]

love it!

[arturo8402]

This is perfection!!

[lamusicahera]

this is top......At this time she has been singing very slim and youthful later she changed the colours more... BRAAAVA!

[bonanplu]

nov, 1956.Callas was 32 years old (born dec, 1923, dead sept 1977 at 53)and she was finished, what a technique !

in 1954 she was 30 and her high notes were always dreadful

[belcantismo]

At the start of a career I wish to every new singer to have the similar "finished" voice like Maria Callas had in 1956.

In 1954 Maria Callas was still an extraordinary and fantastic soprano, with very very few competitors in the Opera. Remind please those competitors in 1954 could rivale with her only for the voice, never for acting!

Before that year, she was absolutely celestial and as in Italy is common to say: "sovraumana". Nothing of "human" could reach her perfet "State of the Art".

[Vendimi3]

@belcantismo

I usually don't even count Maria Callas in competitions between singers. Not fair to human sopranos.

Yes, I'm Italian - as you may guess :-)

[hammer55292]

@Vendimi3 Truer words were never said.

[luvxl]

by finished, he means her voice didn't need any more training. I happen to like her loads event afterwards, without the crazy high notes but with her exquisite musiciality

[TheMrMaz]

says YOU love!!You're (thankfully!!) in the minority...as most everyone with 'functioning ears' can hear the sheer brilliance of Maria's art!!She (literally!!) CHANGED the way that opera was performed/perceived and whjat was expected of a true soprano!!She went BACK to singing and performing the roles as WRITTEN by the composer,which had all but been abandoned!!Making dumb comments says wAAAy more about YOUR ignorance than anything about her or her 'high notes'!!Fool...

[minkoss]

Yes that's true... I am not a big fan of the color of her voice but her singing has changed the way sopranos (and even male opera singers) sing nowadays... It's not just about showcasing great technique in reaching high notes, but more about sharing an emotion! For that I take my hat off!

[Elisabetta611]

This wasn't one of her best nights, even though her dramatic vocalism and musicality are unmatched.

[operaspark]

Callas in one of her signature roles. She is definatly one of the greatest Lucia's ever. Even on this performance where he voice wasn't in perfect condition you can hear still her the wonderful fluidity of her voice and how it floats along the score. It is a shame about the Eb at the end, she must have made the decision prior this performance not to sing it due to illness. She still remains for me one of the greatest operatic ledgends of all time.

[Alleeexoscm]

Cierto que en esta grabación es diferente a las otras interpretaciones, en la presente, es particularmente, más perceptible el uso de técnica y coloratura... verdaderamente fenomenal, mientras que en la Lucia di lammermoor -Spargi d'amaro piantos de 1959 (Simdaperce) utiliza mucho su vocación expresiva y sentimental al punto de hacer vibrar al ezpectador, hacerlo sentir la desesperación y el dolor a través su canto.

Viva M A R I A C A L L L A S, por siempre la más grande, espectacular! ‼

[Alleeexoscm]

Nunca me deja de sorprender Maria Callas, en esta aria su voz es y su canto son espectaculares, con su coloratura espectacular y fabulosa. . .

Pero lo que sorprende es como una persona puede dar tanta vida a un personaje de tantas formas, aqui es mucho gentil y lírica en su estilo, mientras que en la gran interpretación de 1959, suena mucho más dramática y te deja caer el sentimiento a flor de piel para causar escalofrios por el sentimiento....

¡Viva Maria Callas, en mi opinión, la mejor... ‼

[coopandre]

Does anyone know why she didn't hit the high note at the end???

[belcantismo]

John Ardoin in his "Callas legacy" wrote about a not perfect state of her voice, that night. From this recording seems to appear only some "short breath", but the voice sounds always wonderful with her usual, astonishing, whirling ability to go up and down in the pentagram. Anyway, I love that voice's colour, that "relaxed" mood to perform one of the most beautiful Donizetti's arias.

[garconfrancais01]

see to me...she does sound in perfect voice...her vibrato is still relatively tight and not spread but idk..

[JuillHope17]

that's not it. you're not too familiar with callas's sound then. and besides, this is an old live recording. notice that the key of this is higher, it's because with older recordings and then uploading them on youtube makes things higher and a pinch faster, so it's not that her vibrato is tight at all, but this recording quality. and even so, she NEVER had a tight vibrato. if anything, it got wider as she sang into the 60s.

[jonhatanarx]

simply delicious thank you very much for sharing such a jewel. Best regards

[zurriuss]

For me, Callas is the best Lucia.

VIVA!!!!

[Frufrucucu]

Absolutely fantastic! I find Callas to be one of the best Lucias if not THE best. She's so different from Joan Southerland...Not even Dame Joan's fabled performances came close to the artistry Callas gave in her appearences! While Sutherland's Lucia is prettier and joes goes loony, Callas has depth and really goes mad, making you feel the tragedy of this poor girl. Still, both are great artists but Callas just has it in her to portray charachters and make them come alive...

Glorious performance

[barmanjoe]

Comparing Callas with Sutherland is an outrage, Sutherland was an amateur in what she did when compared to Callas, in more than one respect.

[Simdaperce]

Every version of this aria sung by Callas is different from the others, and this one is beautiful as always. Thanks a lot!

[actor001]

amazing!!!

thankyou