Maria Callas: Casta diva (1958)

Maria Callas as Norma
in Bellini's opera live in Paris.

Casta Diva, che inargenti
queste sacre antiche piante,
a noi volgi il bel sembiante
senza nube e senza vel...
Tempra, o Diva,
tempra tu de cori ardenti
tempra ancora lo zelo audace,
spargi in terra quella pace
che regnar tu fai nel ciel...




Fine al rito : e il sacro bosco
Sia disgombro dai profani.
Quando il Nume irato e fosco,
Chiegga il sangue dei Romani,
Dal Druidico delubro
La mia voce tuonerà.
Cadrà; punirlo io posso.
(Ma, punirlo, il cor non sa.
Ah! bello a me ritorna
Del fido amor primiero;
E contro il mondo intiero...
Difesa a te sarò.
Ah! bello a me ritorna
Del raggio tuo sereno;
E vita nel tuo seno,
E patria e cielo avrò.
Ah, riedi ancora qual eri allora,
Quando il cor ti diedi allora,
Ah, riedi a me.)


O pure Goddess, who silver
These sacred ancient plants,
Turn thy beautiful semblance on us
Unclouded and unveiled...
Temper, o Goddess,

The brave zeal
Of the ardent spirits,
Scatter on the earth the peace
Thou make reign in the sky...

Complete the rite : and the sacred wood
Be clear of the laity.
When the irate and gloomy God
Asks for the Romans blood
My voice will thunder
From the Druidic temple.
He will fall ; I can punish him
(But my heart is unable to do so).
(Ah! Return to me beautiful
In your first true love ;

Ill protect you
Against the entire world.
Ah! Return to me beautiful
With your serene ray;
Ill have life, sky
And homeland in your heart.
Ah, return again as you were then,
When I gave you my heart then,
Ah, come back to me.)

Translation by Stefano Olcese (solces@tin.it) found on http://www.aria-database.com/translations/norma04_casta.txt

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bellini
• norma
• maria callas
• casta diva

[dottorben]

The choir wrongs its start (at 2:58) but she's perfectly able to manage this messy action and in 3:10 makes everything go the right way (she burns the coir with her eyes at 3:26)....

[mik22ko]

Απιστευτη.Μύθος.Απόλαυση.

[spiliada]

She's like a ray of sunlight breaking through a little cloud on a mid-October foggy morning

[jaxobeus]

pravissima belissima graerrendioso einmalig nobudy can dou it better

niemals wird sie jeh erreichen

[joshuanassiri]

Meanwhile the chorus was a disaster. Look at them shuffling. Amatuers.

Miss Callas of course is perfection. A true diva.

[Blueberry421]

Un GRAND MOMENT!!!!!

Une pure merveille de belcanto

On entendra plus jamais de pareille prouesse vocale....et c'est dommage. Elle était la meilleure!!

[minunni]

mamma mia!

[Rosa7145]

Sencillamente MARAVILLOSA y SUBLIME, lástima que el coro no la ayudo

[mrsmuci62]

FAVOLOSAAAAAAA!!

[Sikalyn]

why did she need to tied herself like that? if eyes can kill, all the choir should have been buried the same day...

[Redboy4]

@dottorben I wonder what she said to the choir director afterward hmm? hehe.

[nuitsmagiques]

Irremplaçable Callas ......