Callas's earliest video - Norma Trieste53

Ricordando Maria Callas Club by Cosimo Capanni presents Maria Callas as Norma in an ultra-rare silent movie from the 1953 Trieste production of the Bellini opera, the earliest Callas material on film, as seen in the exhibition "Maria Callas - 30 anni dopo" held in Trieste from 4 July to 7 September 2008.
All Maria Callas's fans are immensely grateful to Riccardo Gmeiner for leaving us this incredible footage.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bellini
• Norma
• Trieste
• Maria
• Callas
• Antonino
• Votto
• Franco
• Corelli
• Elena
• Nicolai
• Boris
• Christoff

[sillyboydeux]

And by comparison today's singers are pale, distorted imitations of what opera used to be like. There isn't even a Tebaldi, and she was not so great either, so that's how low the threshold has been lowered to. The Met is ugly, dull, full of overfed uneducated billionaires with no awareness of music. At LaScala the old ladies go up to the loggia with their scores and pick apart the singer's voices. At the Met they just saunter over to the bar and get plastered.

[sillyboydeux]

So we have this phenomenal legacy with everything from snippets in Buenos Aires to all of Act II of Tosca. For my part, the film of the 1965 Paris Norma recitative expresses the true meaning of bel canto as we see her joining the body, soul and voice in one coup de teatre after another. What is the true meaning of the term bel canto? I think it is that everything has meaning, every note, fermata, acciaccatura, etc., legato in some places, staccato or scuro/sfogato in others. A true diva poet.

[alexmuso1943]

An amazing piece of history. So thrilling. Isn't the baritone there in the ensemble Boris Christoff? It certainly sounds like him - so we have Callas, Corelli and Christoff. Wonderful

[leoniemikele]

@sillyboydeux Tebaldi wasn't "so great either"? Hmmm.... listen again to the incredible musical choices she makes. Tebaldi didn't sing by the numbers.

[mriltrovatore]

When I was a kid and saw Callas in NORMA, LUCIA, TOSCA and LA TRAVIATA - and loved her - I used to say: " An artist of Callas' caliber comes along once in a lifetime." I am older now and know better. Today I say: "A Callas comes along once. Period." Thanks so much for trip into the Golden Age.

[vedovocallas]

complimenti, dove avete scavato questo video, mai visto eppure pedo parecchio tempo a ricercarli. Grazie.

[abracadabranque]

Sa grande époque...

[rojp08]

absolutely priceless!

[Ariadne7710]

@luiismoschini. Thank you for this amazing footage. I saw her Norma in the late 50s but these clips are fantastic. It was not just the voice which was incredible but the whole interpretation and characterisation of each role which was mesmerising. A great artist and a unique musician. She had an instinctive understanding of how each role should be sang and brought to life. I doubt we will see her like again.

[ferrykalos]

Thanks for posting.