Maria Callas sings "Suicidio" La Gioconda

[TheRachmaninofflover]

Even though her voice here is nowhere near her best, I would still give anything to sing like she can here.

[MrAndresaputra]

Callas in one of greatest diva in this world

[betweenyouandsky]

The first time I saw this video it made me cry that her lower middle notes sound like her voice without any operatic training. Since she didn't perform for so long she just lost the technique,I think. Her higher notes are still her voice I remember. I miss her very much.

[sommofabio]

wonderful :)

(but SUICIDIO is written with only one C)  ;)

[sillyboydeux]

The lower middle notes from C to G sound haggard and do not resonate. The tempo is dragging, compared to the recordings, and the overall impression does not "sweep me away" as in glory day. But parts are superb, from "Perdei la madre" up to "fra le tenebre" in particular. After that, like her character, it's downhill. But to hear a real miracle, find her "Ah perfido" recorded at Théatre du Champs Elysée, a year before her death. She had worked another "Callas miracle", and was in superb form.

[camalane]

Quel merveilleux déclin !!!!!!!!

[lojundolo]

SUICIDIO, just one C in italian and in Ponchielli's title

[raaadja99]

Even though her voice is obviously far away from it's peak she still delivers a performance that 99 % of nowadays sopranos would kill for.

[astridsmid]

Because of this beautifull lady I started liking opera. But now after some years she is still the only one who can really touch me with her voice.

[unotenore]

more listening clarifies the problem with the topmost note near climax which is that she changes her body to accomodate the note, thereby taking the line off the breath. this is not new to Callas, but she's not as young, and she would have benefited from advice here. probably no one dared to give her advice in vocal matters at this stage in her life. She also looks anarexic which can take away the essential bouyancy needed for singing such demanding music. remember no recording studio.

[unotenore]

i do not agree that her chest tones were the problem here as they are sung with great ease of execution without any signs of distress. some sopranos frabricate the chest to excess, yet to Callas this was her natural earthy, gutsy reality. Only the topmost note is out of shape, probably she had not been vocalizing much of the recent months. Maybe true her party life took too much from the needed vocal work time. it depends on how much you're asked to sing sometimes as to how much you work.

[Operaddict]

The sad thing is that there was NOTHING wrong with her voice at this time. Only her concept of how to sing had been lost. Why didn't someone get her to stop all that chest voice? It caused her such distress with the rest of her voice. The middle voice is still lush and beautiful. No wobbles. I suppose she thought all that chesting was needed for drama...but look what it did to her voice...especially the top. She simply forgot how to sing greatly. Drama replaced vocalism.

[feveroo7]

Actually you're right- she seems FORGOT how to sing as great as she can that set a standard in OPERA and music world. I think personal life has changed her a lot - she herself was a victim of love and kinda reminds Tosca in Vissi d'arte part...

[feveroo7]

Her voice is a little different...still she shines...but not like in previous performances...she left a huge impact on Opera and on people who enjoys Opera,,,!!!!!

[feveroo7]

latest performances of her I guess...she is very beautiful and elegant...

[vocede]

Die Tiefe klingt hier für mich hässlich, die Höhe schön. Zwei totale Gegensätze mit zwei unterschiedlichen Stimmen und Registern. Ich glaube junge unbekannte Sänger hätten mit solchen Gegensätzen Probleme engagiert zu werden.

[jackylen57]

Une grande actrice qui possédait une voix inégalable !

[klarynn]

she was and is the greatest!! I wish I would have had the chance to see her live.... la divina voca!!!!!!!!

[crimsontoxic]

Still better than all the others out there.

[klinsha8]

Sad, very sad. And make me feel angry: where were her friends to prevent such a disaster!?

But I will forget this. Ill stay with her greats, greats roles: Tosca, Madallena, Leonora (le due) Mimi, Carmen, Norma, Aida, Dalila, Amina, Elvira, Manon, Cio Cio San, Santuzza, rosina, Medea, etc, etc, etc. And her early Gioconda, too. THANK YOU, DIVINA, FOR ALL THE JEWELS YOU LEAVE FOR US.

[oprah22]

only her top register is out of whack the middle and lower register are still in tact ...and her tone can use some refining ..all La Divina needed was a tune up in her vocal chords and some therapy from her Onassis troubles and she would have been on the top again

[pumpkinflower]

Lei en su biografía que su voz se desgasto rapidamente por lo rápido de su ascenso, las horas intontables en las que su madre la hacia trabajar...

En las noches y días que Callas buscaba la perfección y aquellas terribles temporadas en el yate Cristina de Aristoteles Onassis que le ocasionaron una sinucitis terrible, alcanzó la perfección pero el pago por tal acto le destruyo la voz, pero valió la pena, "Es el antes y el después de la òpera"...

VIVA LA GRANDE MARIA!!!

[gambler6]

What happened whit her voice here? Where it went?

[00af01]

maria callas tenia una hermosa y potenten voz, pero se desgasto rapidamente, lastima para su publico...

[pollione86]

Callas was Callas, the legen of belcanto but her voice here is destryed by years of silence and probably even because she had sung charachters too hard for her voice....but if she did't do it she wouldn't have been Maria Callas

[jjcbss]

As a most ardent Callas fan I find the existence of such video embarassing. I would much prefer if footage existed of her mindblowing Giocondas of the early 50s. It's such a shame to see her struggle.

[saverioorlando]

To Beautenor: the slow notes as TRA LE TENEBRE and after DENTRO L'AVEL are demonstrating that she was dark by nature.

[trumansf]

dark by nature???? Its called deep dramatic low notes and has nothing to do with the nature. By nature she was very week thats why always came out so string to the public, in order to protect herself.

[chubblove]

I think it took great courage for Callas to sing this in public when she herself knew her technique was not as strong. However the intensity and the dramatic interpretation is unsurpassed. She was the real thing , the whole picture.

[steinway1901]

I wish she had not felt she had to bring in the chest voice so high. She must have feared that the voice would give out in the bottom. What is it about this technique that gives the voice an enlarged vibrato at the top - similiar some would say to Scotto? Or maybe it's a choice of repertoire. Probably a combination of both.

Both Scotto and Callas are two of my favorite singers of all time, but both gave "too much" ? Better to burn the candle brightly and fast?

[piedras2]

sorry, potrobsas, but dugbin said it so succinctly. "Actually, her career was over by 1970. At the very least she became the most famous singer of that particular Era. ..."

Callas is still considered to be one of the greatest sopranos. ever. Of multiple eras. Even people that hate her(but know and understand music and opera) accept that.

But now I am going to go and check out Joan Sutherland because I would love to hear her if you think so highly of her.

[ariodante76]

This is the operatic equivalent of talk-singing. The voice is barely recognizable. By the way, why does ever discussion of Callas have to involve Joan Sutherland? They had two completely different voices, two completely different personalities, temperments, and careers. Lighten up, folks.

[Jabe88]

why should you people make it a war "Callas VS Sutherland"?

One might prefer Sutherland's timbre over Callas' performance and vice versa! Callas gained the "extra" fame thanks to her great charisma and perfect performance on stage; does that make her better than Sutherland? Sutherland hit extremely high notes that no soprano ever even tried to reach; does that make her better than Callas?

Each has their own opinion!

[dugbin]

You have a point, Jabe88...

[trumansf]

Its funny to hear someone talk about Sutherlands "high notes". Its like Caballes pianissimos never existed.

[dugbin]

Obviously, potrobsas hates Callas. I think people base their opinions on hate. especially potrobsas. but if you will only liten to Callas, you will find out what an artist she is. She is still an artist. I agree with PAZO619. Her voice was just a mere patch on her whole artistry. So if you dont want BAD comments thrown on Sutherland, then dont throw bad comments on Callas. Just SHUT UP!

[dugbin]

If her diaphragm did not let her down, she could have extended her career until the very year she died. But still, she remains the best soprano with the best technique. I think even other sopranos like Caballe and Tebaldi knew that. If Joan Sutherland had the same technique, others wouldve said better things to her.

[vkaminsky]

What in god's name is paz0619 doing referring to someone as "n!gger?" What a vulgar, pig-like comment. He should be ashamed and slammed by anyone of taste and dignity.

[PAZ0619]

Yes, I was being vulgar intentionally:) to see whether some people would actually detract and criticize me for doing it. But anyway, I hope you would give fair comments instead of insults.

[Orfeus80]

She is actually much better than I'd expected for 1973. Some of her earlier problems are just amplified here.

[potrobsas]

I repeat: Gioconda orchestra are 120 instruments (or 150), she sings it with a piano and the piano it's closed.She ends the aria with A instead of the B, she transposes a whole tone and even the note is a disgrace.Disgraceful !

[dugbin]

Maria Callas was even more BEAUTIFUL than Joan Sutherland. Joan was a FAT COW! Maria Callas was in the best shape. And I think that her svelte figure helped her career a lot. Joan Sutherland was named La Stupenda, which means "stupendous"; but Maria Callas was La Divina, which means "divine". So think about it. Callas was not called La Divina for nothing. And I think that Sutherland was named stupenda for nothing. Truth Hurts.

[potrobsas]

dugbin is only 20 but he is a great example of what a Callas fans is.He is an alienist and a terrorist as well.Joan Sutherland retired in fine voice and in grand style after 35 years of superstar career.Callas lasted only 6 years ! in good shape (1948/53), and she retired in disgrace in 1965 and her opera schedule was over since 1959

[dugbin]

Joan Sutherland did not have a supersatr career. if she had a "superstar career", she couldve been the most famous singer of that era. BUT, BUT, BUT, SHE DID NOT! so it only says that she is nothing compared to Callas. she is but Joan Sutherland. and BTW, Sutherland was born in 1926, whereas Callas was born in 1923. so Callas had More experience than Sutherland! Do the math! and do your research before you comment.

[chubblove]

Thats mean, Callas did in those few years what it takes a soprano a lifetime, she sang everything, it is shameful that all comments compare instead of appreciating what this extraodinary singer contributed to opera in general.

[rainbowofdeathx]

she was a geat singer. Here however she is a singer who is making a spectacle of herself. those who were loyal to her and honored here, myself included, failed in our duty to encourage her silence.

[ralphmoore]

I think I am a fair, reasonable judge of voices after thirty years of listening to them, live and recorded, and I am not uncritical of Callas, even at her best, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of her singing here: some notes in the middle of the voice are a little hollow, the top flaps a bit, but the rest is expressive, exciting and, yes, beautiful; it's far from the disaster some would have it.

[stuarda]

Potrobsas you are an idiot.

A BIG one without head and heart.

Just an idiot.

[Barrowcliffe]

If only La Divina had made the switch to mezzo roles, she could have added ten years to her career and fulfillment to her life after that cretinous weasle of a shipping tycoon thug dumped her. Sadly, her pride was too much of an obstacle. God bless her, forever the best.

[heldenmatt]

It breaks my heart that this is what happened to one of the best singers in history.

[boipussi]

Yes, it's painful to watch.

[foxxywilma]

after all that she'd been through, callas sounds lovely in this aria. let's not forget that this was a comeback recital; it's a miracle she could phonate at all at this stage of her life. yes, the top was out of control, but i've always loved callas' low chest notes, and if she did transpose it down, good for her. she worked with what she had and gave everything she had for her beloved art. brava, callas. viva la divina!

[dressage123456]

if somebody alway said that her voice is not good in this video, but can cover somebody

[harlemdreamer]

BTW, what a gorgeous woman especially at the age of 49. She does not look aged at all, no wrinkles, very natural beauty. She has a glow to her.

[harlemdreamer]

Who cares if she was not perfect. It doesn't matter. Let's appreciate her for her efforts and for who she was. The likes of her we will not see for a very long time.

[dressage123456]

i dont think somebody said that Callas not good in this video, she was so good voice and acting in this show, and i think very hard looking for somebody can cover her in this year.

[zhangluer]

Of course her voices is not good.But she is callas ,Who cares the voice?

[MAPIAKALLAS]

You see here a callas that is in love with her public and she gift all she got to them we need to be thankful for that BRAVA

[BeauTenor]

You know, some people just have nothing good to say. Even though this is the very end of Callas' career, and even though she is just a shadow of her former self, and even though the high notes are just barely there, the middle, and in particular the low notes are still beautiful. On top of that, her commitment is a wonderful thing to see....so lacking today.

[potrobsas]

Mrrk: She sings the aria with a closed piano (Gioconda is for more than 100 instruments) and she ends in a A (LA) instead of the written B (SI), she transpose it a whole tone and even her A is a disgrace.(with a closed piano)

[BeauTenor]

do you EVER quit bashing people? do you have ANYTHING good to say about ANYONE? I'd LOVE to see or hear you sing. Post something of yourself, then let's critique that.

[PAZ0619]

Forgive him. He (or she) is probably a Tebaldi fan. Yeah, her upper register gradually became unstable after '53 due to her drastic weight loss (no breath support). But did she retire in disgrace? Or n!gger please. She will always be and will be remembered as an artist La Divina, even her voice, by then, was a mere shadow of what she was in the late 1940s to mid 1950s.

[epa300]

32 years after her debut, after a career that holds a candle to none, what more could she have given us? She was art.

[mrrk]

This is not good singing. Far too late for her, and she has to transpose the aria down. All too sad.

[foropera]

Oooh! Well done Maria! She sounds really good for the time it was , and that aria stays in her still good notes. It seems that the "training" of touring gave her back somme of her powers. And she is really beautifull and moving as ever of course.

[dural]

Remember this was her second concert... the training of touring can´t be in this video!!!! In the Tokyo film, there, you see remarkable diferences becouse of the training of touring, nor in this aria!

[potrobsas]

Her career was over by 1959, she was 35.What a technique !

[dugbin]

Actually, her career was over by 1970. At the very least she became the most famous singer of that particular Era. Unlike Joan Sutherland.

[potrobsas]

What a courage to say she even sounds here foropera.In her 1959 studio Gioconda her voice was so little, small lyrical and wobbly high notes.Her wobble in 1959 was terrible, half a tone wobble.By 1960 her opera schedule was ending and her career was over.She retired in disgrace in 1965.Here, eight years after NO singing her comeback concerts were painful