Maria Callas Goes Mad!!! Lucia Di Lammermoor

Live recorded in 1955. Conducted by Herbert Von Karajan. One of the best performers of Lucia Di Lammermoor!

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Music

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• Maria
• Callas
• Lucia
• Di
• Lammermoor
• Donizetti
• opera
• music

[Zva26]

Supposedly, her greatest Lucia took place in Chicago in November, 1954.  Old timers here say that after the end of the Mad Scene, the performance was stopped for ten minutes as the audience went crazy. A veteran critic (Claudia Cassidy) said that one would have thought that Donizetti had scored the Mad Scene for the audience! Unfortunately, it was never recorded, which makes this Berlin performance of a year later the best Callas Lucia ever captured in sound.

[zurriussII]

@Zva26 You've shared a very interesting information. Thanks a lot.

[NEBESHIKU]

Right now Callas must be in heaven sitting on the throne as the queen goddess of opera while sutherland is cleaning house and doing dishes as Callas' hired help.

[zurriussII]

@NEBESHIKU LOL

[IroNSol88]

Is it "Spargi d'amaro pianto"?

[zurriussII]

@IroNSol88 Yes, it is.

[philipc67]

Arguably her best Lucia, Berlin, September 1955, with Panerai, di Stefano and Karajan. He also conducted her in the role at La Scala in 1954 and Vienna in 1956, and they recorded BUTTERFLY in 1955 and TROVATORE in 1956 together. The ensemble cast and quality of this entire performance is indeed superb, her Mad Scene unsurpassed in vocal agility, musicianship, and dramatic truth.

[Cedricfollyman]

@NEBESHIKU Ah, another of Callas' bitter trolls... The comment bellow is aimed at you and all others like you. Have a nice day :)

[Cedricfollyman]

Sutherland's Mad Scenes were far superior. However In saying that, I do like Callas here, but Sutherland was a technician and a virtuoso. Callas too was a virtuoso, but in a much different sense. Her singing was an emotional experience. She allowed her voice to be colored by the mood of the music (often overly so but to great dramatic effect) but in doing so, her technique suffered. Sutherland could masterfully color any phrase as required, but unlike Callas, the technique was never in doubt. 

[TheDieselmechanic1]

She was just so truly incredible.

[rczapotinschi]

Seems to me her voice surpasses the recording capabilities of the time.

[Ariadne7710]

@gordiam It is not a contest of who can go higher. It is what is the correct note according to the score!!! If you really want to hear beautifully sang high notes up to A6 listen to Ingeborg Hallstein's Olympia with an Ab6 and Il Bacio with A6 beautifully executed

[soundslikeblue]

@gordiam You can have a singer with stratospheric high notes and an horrible interpretation!

Nothing against the singers you mentioned, what I am saying is that, Knowing the role of Lucia and the story of the whole Opera, I think what a singer really needs, is to be sensitive enough to use her voice qualities (timbre, agility, range control...) in the right ways to fit the character.

The high note at the end isn't even essential to make a good interpretation, although I like it too!

[soundslikeblue]

@Zva26 And there is also the 1953 Studio recording, conducted by Tullio Serafin! Don't you find it Amazing as well?

Callas voice was at its prime there!

Thank you also for the information abou Claudia Cassidy! :)

[LacrimaLunaMortua]

@gordiam Hehehe, I already know them, I looove them, speacially Yma Sumac, I really ADORE her, but in my opinion Callas' version is the best, her power, her technique, etc. It is not about how high you go, it's about how you do it. I think that each one of them has something speacial, for example my beloved Yma was the ONLY soprano that made the triple coloratura <3 Btw, you forgot María Barrientos, she was a excellent spanish coloratura soprano, search for some videos about her, she's wonderful

[gordiam]

@LacrimaLunaMortua mado robin, erna sack, yma sumac. search on google their stratospheric high notes!