Maria Callas: "Ah, non giunge..." Sonnambula Bellini, Bernstein, Milano 1955

[pjps2]

11 people are very ignorant, or very dumm.

viva CALLAS

[SuspiriaRosso]

Perdinci... se ascolto le altre registrazioni sono almeno un gradino e mezzo al di sotto della sua. Se poi ascolto Ah non credea mirarti della stessa Sonnambula, bè... solo la presenza scenica fa di lei un mostro di bravura! Grande Maria!!!!!

[SymphonyBrahms]

Brava Callas!

[Josquinquin]

I'm on my knees in tears!!!!!!!!!!!

[celesteaida48]

She changed the way so many Belcanto roles were and will be sung. One of a kind indeed, in fact after so many years the discussions are about the way she sung like it or not. She was and still is Unica.

[calaftheeast]

I don't get the people who loathe Callas's voice. It's common knowledge even Callas herself disliked her own voice heavily. I think that is totally crazy! It may not have been the most 'feminine' voice in the world, but it was fantastic and unique in every way. It was a dragon of a voice, as displayed here. It had high notes, low notes, good middle register. Full of emotion, depth and appeal.

Yes, it was destroyed later on, but at its prime it was just magic all around.

[asx5252]

hahah the applause is so epic!

[intelegentable]

This role has been sung by more conventionally beautiful voices and with greater purity of tone but nobody gave it more excitement and electricity or truth. Callas's voice was unique and her sense of the theatrical and her musicianship was incomparable.

[belcantismo]

@intelegentable I partially agree because IMVHO Maria Callas' voice remains the most beautiful thing God could give us, like a marvellous gift, in Opera world.

Anyway, once again, it is confirmed that "voice" is not all in Opera singing and acting.

To tell again and again to all nightingales lovers... :-)

[Ariadne7710]

@intelegentable You are quite right. Compare this with the Sutherland Met 63 version on YT. JS has clearer notes but the first part is too fast and robotic with no phrasing at all. Whereas this one has better tempo and beautifully span phrases, wonderful tempi rubati and ritardandi in the right places and the descending scales are better articulated. Also the additional embellishments and trills fit into Bellini's melodies much better than Sutherland's. Bernstein & Callas great combination!!!

[jperniciaro]

@Ariadne7710 Their Medea from La Scala is also unbelievable.

[Ariadne7710]

@jperniciaro Yes you are absolutely right. Unfortunately I didn't see the La Scala Medea with Bernstein, but I saw the Covent Garden Medea in June 1959 and I still get the shivers when I remember it!! It was so alive, so scary, so real!!! Callas was the ultimate Medea. It was worth every minute of the night I spent queuing on the pavement to get tickets.

[Josquinquin]

Goosebumps! .. Tears! .. And shouts of BRAVA!!!!

[pointemeout]

@Josquinquin

couldn't help but notice your comments, seeing as I am a major callas lover and my name is Joaquin, which is suuuuper close to your screen name. Kudos! and I know what you mean about Callas causing tears.....she's been killin me for years...

[mogly62]

CALLAS FOREVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! stop.

[chaselondon347]

la adoro.... spenderei giornate intere ad ascoltare la sua voce d'angelo. unica, meravigliosa, elegante, super Callas... altro che soprano sfogato....

[DanBarthy]

"Callas ? She was pure electricity." - Leonard Bernstein

[MultiZahl]

Bravissima Maria Callas -diese Aufnahme kannte ich noch -danke "belcantismo"

[MultiZahl]

Vielen Dank "belcantismo" für diese wunderbare Callasaufnahme--ich habe diese Auf-

nahme noch nicht in meiner Sammlung-interessant sind die Kolloraturvariationen im Vergleich zu den von EMI veröffentlichten Aufnahmen---nochmals danke!!!!

[Donizettimaniac]

This woman is God.

[ROMAYATENEA]

DOPO CALLAS ....... UNICA CALLAS !

[danawinsor]

Callas stood for something. She meant something to so many people who treasure all that is the greatest that mankind can create. I dare not try to define too specifically what that "something" is, but those to whom Callas' music speaks to, I believe, know what I mean.

[magicmonkichi]

@danawinsor

Amen~ *bow* brava.

[Keithj136]

i must say again,the staggering Class of Callas....we shall never see the like again,and thanks for the post :)

[georgerannie]

my god, she was at her peek.

[alflig1]

e se ne cade il teatro :-)))

PS - per TheMrMaz se la callas era un soprano sfogato, vieni a sentirmi perché sono caruso. non sono mai morto!

[magicmonkichi]

2:43, the lead into the trills and the trills and that whole cadenza blow me away~!  BRAVA CALLAS~!~! <3

[untoa]

this is not Maria at her best* - perhaps due to Lenny.

*not anywhere, anywhere, anywhere near her best

[magicmonkichi]

Holy crap~! BRAVA~!~!~!~!~!

[RaWrZzZz]

I would just like to say, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE CALLAS YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY­YYYYYY!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3

[georgerannie]

She had it all--fabulous!

[Aetion]

Genius, absolutely genius!

Thank you.

[zurriussII]

Everybody everybody... but Callas remains always CALLAS. Just look at comments :)

[chico00566]

La Callas é a soprano!!!

[TheMrMarilyn]

Maria at the zenith of her powers...and thass higher than ANYone has ever bin (in my estimation)!!Utterly untouchable vocally,as usual!!Genius woman that she was/IS!!

[THEPONKITI]

名刀村正で幾人もの刺客を断ち斬るような声の切れ味である。

[turnipoverlord]

i must say, the last lot of notes leave me clinging to my armrests! i'm amazed anyone got out of that place alive! what a brilliant piece of singing by Maria, such an otherworldly force

[jmuslvr]

The greatest singing of this aria that I have ever heard. I have the cd and love it. Magnificent! The cheering and applause are almost lifting the roof off of La Scala. Brava, Maria! Brava!

[jmuslvr]

I have read that the Italians refer to her as a "drammatica d'agilita", a dramatic soprano who has the agility to sing lighter soprano roles as well. That is a very rare soprano voice.

[TheMrMarilyn]

@jmuslvr Unique in fact!!Maria was/IS a Goddess!!!!

[TheCaroleBeer]

As usual Callas has the best interpretation altough I prefer her 1957s version with Serafin.

[27tenor]

Как-же звучит голос в 1955 году!

[PieBorgne]

Sublime.

[clasirico1]

Llevo 40 años escuchando esta ópera y nadie a podido emocionarme tanto como Callas,su voz era un transporte de emociones,de melancolía,tristeza,sufrimient­o y de alegrías que hasta hoy no he encontrado en otra voz.

[Operalover12002]

I wish La Callas had demanded that this opera--along with La Traviata--be filmed with her playing the title roles. Her beauty could have silenced Hollywood actresses.

The role of Amina belongs to Callas, because other sopranos fail to dramatize the opera. Thanks for uploading this precious clip.

[TheMrMarilyn]

@Operalover12002 oh...that would be just so wonderful wouldn't it...La Traviata/Sonnambula on film...oh the happiness that seeing one of her brilliant portrayals would bring!!

[zurriussII]

@Operalover12002 La Traviata, La Sonnambula, Tosca, Norma, Lucia, I Puritani ... and many others. If they were filmed, they would remain as Holy Bible for the rest of opera singers.

[aavauxhall]

I believe one critic said something along the lines of "She hurled notes like thunderbolts and left the audience astonished".

[TheMrMaz]

Ya know..these 'extra' embellishments that she interpolates for these Scala performances were actually written by Bernstein!!I think he did an incredible job with the score,as did (of COURSE!!) Maria!!Can you imagine though...every night she sang in an opera HAD to be better,or at least as good as her very best nights or she was accused of 'failing'!!What pressure she lived with,yet STILL triumphed!!I admire her more and more as the years pass...Prima Donna ASSOLUTA,without a shadow of a doubt!!

[qklq42]

She had a great evening ! Bernstein is a director who gives a singer the room to sing. He breath together with the singer. Her voice is radieux. All her coleratures are succesfull. Yes, it is a very fine recording. The applause of this totaly spoiled public prooves it !

Hans NL

[TheMrMaz]

She was a soprano sfogato,if you're interested!!

[belcantismo]

Very interesting what english wikipedia says about "soprano sfogato".

[TheMrMaz]

Aint it though!!!!LoL!!Fits her like a GLOVE ("a soprano that can do ANYTHING"!!!!)

[TheMrMarilyn]

@belcantismo thass what she was!!I'm 'TheMrMaz' also...i couldn't remember my password so was 'locked out' for ages!!Listening to her sing this is just incredible...i mean really incredible!!Thank you so much for putting this up!!XXXX!!

[TheMrMarilyn]

@belcantismo Haven't read it...but i know what it means,thass why i related it to her...describes her phenomenal vocal proclivities with 'pinpoint accuracy'!!Thank you so much for putting it up...the clips...and the clip that YOU have made for it is gawjuss too!!God...i so love Maria...i wish i'd had the luck to meet her...!!Thank you again!!XXXX!!

[MAPIAKALLAS]

@belcantismo None of the english wikipedia say that as sfogato is an italian word so look it up in a italian dictionary ;-) thank you.thats all

[Frufrucucu]

Even if this doesn't have as good of a sound as the recordings from Köln and Edimburgh (one of which is in stereo) this is still such a magical performance! She was a DRAMATIC SOPRANO singing Amina. I love other sopranos too, but I've NEVER heard coloraturas do it as well as she does... Their ornamentations aren't as good either, they don't collocate with the music or style, and many times are not even harmonic!

[doremicde]

No, I think she sound good even in this recording, even if we cant hear all tones of her voice, but, another time, BRAVA MARIA!!!!!!!!!

[AuthenticFeirce]

She is a DRAMATIC COLORATURA. Not DRAMATIC SOPRANO.

[opera1dan2]

Absolutely agree. How can a soprano that was the definitive Medea and Lady Macbeth possibly be the definitive Amina too? And yet she is - just incredible. Others have sung this role wonderfully well too but I can't imagine anyone will top Callas' perfomances of this aria which she recorded at the height of her powers. Just wonderful - got to listen to her Cologne and studio recordings of this too though for the special moments there.

[PureSoapCleans]

opera1dan2, Absolutely, I totally agree with you, very well said. I have heard some excellent Amina, but Callas is at the top of them all. And she looked so beautiful too. i would give years of my life for having seen her in Sonnambula. Very lucky those who saw her, and lucky us for having her recordings. God Bless!

[BellovVideo]

It's fascinating to compare the Scala 1955, Cologne 1957 and EMI recordings of this section. Although she professed to dislike this opera ("too much soft singing") she certainly found every single opportunity to develop the character and the interpretation until became as perfect as ANYONE will ever make it. What an artist!

[Shahrdad]

@BellovVideo Exactly where did she say she disliked Sonnambula? I think I have read damn near everything about her, and I have never hear that. I'd love to know where you read or heard that. As far as I know, she always loved everything by Bellini.

[DanyelHawkes]

@Shahrdad no no no. she never said she dislike it. When she sang it in the 60's with George Pretre, she said the opera troubled her because the high pianissimo A's (in ah non credea) were tiring.

[TheMrMarilyn]

@Shahrdad Yes...ahm curios to know that as well!!Where have you heard that Maria didn't like La Sonnambula??Ahve read juss about everything about Ms Callas also and ahv never read that about her!!Ah seem to recall that she was fond of the role,and as 'Shahrdad' says,Maria loved Bellini as well!!...so??

[ChrisStockslager]

What's with all the huge amounts of "thumbs ups" on ALL of these comments?

[belcantismo]

Ask to people that vote... :-)

[citrussorbet]

What a combo. Callas and Bernstein!! Two of the worlds greatest!!!

[chessross]

De acuerdo con echlyn, Bellini hubiera alcanzado el extasis espiritual si hubiera podido escuchar la perfección ,el arte grandioso, incomparable de Callas. No es posible menos que quedar sin respiración ante la intensidad y la calidad del arte de Callas, Una interpretación sobrecogedora y rutilante.Absoluta ,incomparable, única, ¡Gracias MARIA!!!

[petelovesbevsills]

Bellini was in tears when he heard this andknelt down to acknowledge Maria as his heroine! Brava Maria!!

[echlyn]

Bellini had already been dead nearly for 120 years when Callas sung this. If he had been alive in 1955, I'm sure he would've not only cried. :)

[CONTESTAR]

To just continue in the spirit of "...if Bellini was alive..."

Well if Bellini was alive and heard this...I think he would be the first composer ever to discover "Verismo"!!

Maria, tu sais qu' on t'adore!!!!!!!!!!!

[SirGiorgioValton]

Ah non giunge uman pensiero al perfetto di cui ella è piena!

;)

[askar78]

Maria, sarai in eterno la Santa Protettrice della Musica e di tutte le Arti.

[pavilion30RM]

Unica e inimitabile!

[SORREGI]

Questo non è un pezzo di lirica, è un pezzo di storia della musica. Maria sei stupenda ...

[cigniselvatici]

divina cantante, meravigliosa donna, grande attrice. Grazie di averci dato intense emozioni

[kngiht84]

Oh the mistress of bel canto !

[yodavidnavarro]

Good as always!

[TheRealAngelHeart]

A legendary performance. 1955 the year of optimum balance for Callas between her appearance , acting, voice and interpretation.

I also recommend the 1957 performance in Cologne which is even superior , more ethereal, and therefore more befitting the character - probably the perfect performance, if that is possible.

[InformedListener]

Wow-- I can't imagine the amazing thrill it must have been to be present at this performance. Now, this is what you call gratitude. She gave everything to the audience, and they gave everything back to her. Thanks for posting!

[Elisabetta611]

She sounds so utterly HAPPY! Gorgeous!

[jimthewriter]

The beauty and the power of this voice. This is one of the greatest performances in the history of opera. Brava Maria Callas! She truly was La Divina.

[jimthewriter]

This is a classic live performance. I'm told that the audience went wild at the end. Callas was truly incomparable.

[dessayfan]

Spectacular!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Faust075]

Listen how the audience is getting crazy at 3:04, forgetting that it's not the end ! and that the orchestra is still playing for more almost a minute ... That was an idea of Visconti : Callas was singing, alone, at the front of the stage. The highest the notes were coming, the brightest the lights were turned on in La Scala, with ALL the full lights on, when the highest note is reached at 3:04. Those were the days for Opera .... Brava Callas !

[personastrana]

Teoricamente parlando non ci sarebbero parole per descrivere quel genio che è stata maria callas, ci si può provare...

la sua sublime interpretazione del ruolo e poi quella eccezzionale tecnica...

anche non vedendo il titolo di questo video non si può che pensare a una sola persona:maria callas...

non una cantante o un attrice, di più, probabilmente, e anzi non si può che esserne sicuri, era-ed è- qualcosa di eccezzionale.

Brava Maria!!!

[saverioorlando]

The art of intelligent ORNAMENTI!

[angalafan]

Esatto !!! La Callas cerca di essere il personaggio solo attraversi la musica, niente di più. Per lei tutto è già scritto nella partizione, non ha bisogno di ùn gran lavoro intellettuale. Il risultato è lì, una rappresentazione unica di verità e una emozione enorme per il publico!

[dermann1]

MAI PIU' NESSUNO.... MAI PIU'

[SORREGI]

mai più nessuno ... mai più

[simisimi9]

@SORREGI IT IS SADLY SO TRUE....SHE WILL NEVER BE REPLACED...ECER

[atpa5021]

she makes me think that she is enjoying and that she is happy, every time i hear "ah non giunge", she makes me smiling

[yes4albert]

She was having a ball! Hurling notes "like thunderbolts" in a passion and style unknown to the century. The Queen of La Scala.

Brava, Maria. And thank you.

[Faust075]

When you think the this same person was also singing with the same perfection Norma and Lucia, Medea and Traviata, Brunhilde and Elvira/i Puritani (those last two in alternation at La Fenice-Venice in 1949 !!! ) Tosca and Aïda, Lady Macbeth and Butterfly, then you realize that Callas is more than a great singer : She is a pure Genius.

[Frufrucucu]

She is trying. I know that coloraturas can't sing a heavier role like Aïda, Gioconda, Turandot, etc, or a Dramatic or Wagnerian soprano sing Lucia, Violetta, Amina, etc (Unless you're a vocal miracle like Ponselle, Callas, Sutherland...) but if you a singer can tacke one or another role: then they should go for it! You leave them alone!

[zurriuss]

Just listen to her!!!!

Just listen to the audience!!!

Viva DIVA!!!

[longlifeluke]

cosa non avrei dato per essere tra il pubblico.....0_0

[1357911LVGS]

y love callas....!!!! divina

[Frufrucucu]

No matter what others say, she is a great singer. No, she's more than that! She's a DIVINE singer! This sonnambula is so great...I was amazed after i heard it, knowing that this voice had come from singing Norma, Medea, Macbeth...It sounds so sweet, gentle...And yes, it is a bit more "agressive" than on her later recordings, but it works as a whole in this performance whereas she was more gentle in the latter ones so, they are two ways of approching the same role.

[osvaldito55]

Cosa si può dire? La Divina sempre sarà La Divina. Indimenticabile.

[aconito81]

the sound of catharsis

[Jokanaan]

The interpolated trill at 2:10 made me smile...brava!

[negozioditinte]

Ho ascoltato altre tre cantanti nello stesso ruolo, brave o molto brave ma la Divina lo era davvero, non c'è confronto.

[dugbin]

And the audience goes wild and mad... Brava, La Divina!

[Elisabetta611]

God, how I ENVY that audience!!!!!!!! Listen to them going NUTS over her! BRAVA MARIA!

[niklausse]

Bellini himself would fall in love with her

[Lohengrin]

Bellini would have worshiped her and written an opera for her... the descriptions by Stendhal of Bellini's Goddess: Giudita Pasta ("uneven 3 registered voice with dark choked sound with brilliant coloratura technique that conveyed the most intense emotions") were as if written for M Callas

[saverioorlando]

Indimenticabile

[xafnndapp]

WONDERFUL!

My only regret is that she didn't go for a glorious E flat in between the two verses like 2 years later!

Here she is vocally much more secure, even if a bit more "aggressive" and less tender than in 1957.

[ganteros]

DEA! GODDESS! She recognizes at the end of this performance that her "end" biggins! That was 1955. 10 years of pain biggins that night for her. You will never end, María.

[ganteros]

wonderful!