Maria Callas as Medea - Two great phrases from Medea 1961-1953
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2016
- From "Creonte a me solo un giorno dà" and "Figli miei, miei tesor", Act 2 of Cherubhini's incredible opera, Medea.
From the incomprehensibly brilliant Maria Callas, to whom superlatives do no justice, the beginning and end of operatic marvelocity, she who represents a true superhuman superpower, the vocal ability which cannot be equaled, to whom i am a slave...
Two phrasings from Act Two of Cherubhini's masterpiece, Medea - Running back from the final recording of Callas in the role in 1961, to the fateful 1959 Covent Garden performance in which she bewitched Aristotle Onasis (the love she received was deserved but ended her singing career), to the fiery 1958 Dallas opera rendition, where she had literally just learnt that she had been fired from the Met schedule, and her animosity to Ruldolf Bing was evident in her fierce performance (Bing was a total idiot, completely mistaken and incorrect on all accounts, Callas should have been treated like the Goddess that she is, at all times), to the somewhat subdued but technically and audibly superior Mercury Living Presence 1957 stereo studio recording (this is an utter auditory delight - the 7 1/4 inch tape version of which i have and will be uploading soon), to the BJR 1953 La Scala recording with Leonard Bernstein conducting, in which she sounds her most fierce - but i would suggest that the more laid back, debut recording, taking place in Florence in 1953 is the most enjoyable. Here we have a Callas in full pristine voice bringing a dead opera back to life. Callas' Medea is incredible, and unequalled to this day. Other sopranos have tried (Gencer, Jones) but are lacking. Callas FOREVER!
All tracks sourced from vinyl records, excpet possibly the 1959 performance.
Track List
1961 - La Scala - MRF - Creonte a me solo un giorno dà
1961 - La Scala - MRF - Figli miei, miei tesor
1959 - Covent Garden - Source Unknown - Creonte a me solo un giorno dà
1959 - Covent Garden - Source Unknown - Figli miei, miei tesor
1958 - State Fair Music Hall, Dallas, - Melodram - Creonte a me solo un giorno dà
1958 - State Fair Music Hall, Dallas, - Melodram - Figli miei, miei tesor
1957 - La Scala - Mercury Living Presence - Creonte a me solo un giorno dà
1957 - La Scala - Merucry Living Presence - Figli miei, miei tesor
1953 - La Scala - BJR - Creonte a me solo un giorno dà
1953 - La Scala - BJR- Figli miei, miei tesor
1953 - Teatro Comunale - Fonit Cetera - Creonte a me solo un giorno dà
1953 - Teatro Comunale - Fonit Cetera - Figli miei, miei tesor
English Translation
Oh Joy! He still loves them!
Now i know what i must do! To Pretend!
I must pretend to suffer for them!
I must lie!
Ah, my beloved treasures,
I can see you again!
Yes, I can see you.
Lovely fruits of my love!
Oh, love! Oh, remembrance! - Hudba
There was a demonic genius in Callas' voice that has still not been approached. I know of no soprano who could project the poison, venom, and loathing that Callas could. Her bottom chest notes were downright tough as nails in roles like Norma, Medea, Lady Macbeth, Gioconda, etc. Impossible to realize that she could so successfully sing the soft and intricate coloratura of Sonnambula, Lucia, Rosina, Armida, Gilda ----- and then be able to combine them in operas like Aida, Forza, Ballo, Pagliacci, Tosca, etc. The lady was one of a kind and she's left a legacy in sound that will forever demonstrate her genius. To this day, she remains in her own galaxy ---------- a law unto herself!
Why demoniac and not divine?
I enjoy listening to you write about your love for Maria and Callas. beautifully humble origins
Grandi soprano!certo ma
Nessuna nessuna era come lei che ha stravolto il modo di cantare e di stare sul palcoscenico come grandissima attrici mentre le altre sembravano bambolini senza anima! Cantare non significa avere voce ma farla venire dall' anima.Quello che ha fatto solo Maria!
I could hardly describe how much I am moved by this woman ! Such drama and passion..
#turnipoverlord: You are to be commended and most sincerely thanked for all your Callas sound videos. Was her voice a flawless instrument? Of course not, but the WAY she sang! You can actually "see" her through her voice. It's as though she was an artist who could sing in "3D" and jump right out of your speakers and into your face! Her art was so vast and so massive that I now understand why the Metropolitan couldn't satisfy her. She was too all-encompassing for most opera companies and her repertoire was unreachable for anyone else at the time. You should be proud to have brought so much joy to so many people.
totally agree
Her 1961 to 1959 recording shows her low notes in WAY better shape than the other recordings while her '53 shows a still young and immature Callas in the role. My personal thoughts is that Callas grew with the role the older she got and she was able to pull it off better than when she was vocally secure in 1953.
Wonderful highlights.. It's always to compare the different versions and see how her conception and rendition evolved. Of course, she is far above the others, as usual.
Toutes ses interprétations rendues ici sont inimitables ,et même celle de 1961 ne trouverait aucun équivalent de nos jours .Bien sûr ,on constate une évolution dans la voix de Callas entre 1953 et 1961 .Jusqu'en 1954 la voix de Callas est phénoménale au niveau de la puissance d'émission .C'est prodigieux et on entend très bien là stupéfiante projection et la sûreté des aigus .Rien que cela en fait un phénomène vocal inédit . Après son amaigrissement on constate très bien un allègement dans sa voix et malgré tout un raffinement accru dans les couleurs et les nuances .Ce n'est plus un grand soprano dramatique ,mais elle devient de plus en plus un soprano lyrique colorature ,mais elle reste capable ,tel un caméléon et grâce à sa prodigieuse technique ,( la plus grande de tous les temps ),de s'adapter aux exigences de l'écriture musicale ,sans tricher .Et les extraits des Médéa de 58 ou de 61 ,tout en étant différentes de celles de 53 ,sont tout autant admirables et convaincantes .
Sempre solo UNICA !!!
That cover from the La Scala recording must be the very best opera record cover ever
i wanna a poster of it
Unica Medea!
Fantastic choice ! thank you, thank you !
la piu brava
The BJR 1953 Scala recording sounds really good...is that the usual one? Or is it another recording from La Scala?
How low was the note?
I mean second 1:26 min