English soprano has got looks ... and a voice too! Apr 11, 2008
In the case of Anna Netrebko, perhaps the most famous living soprano, comparison has been drawn (like her idol Maria Callas) to such beauties as Audrey Hepburn. Netrebko, who rose from janitor to opera star in a matter of years, has been oscillating between the art world and the pop world, one minute posing for magazines, the next singing Il Puritani at the Metropolian Opera. (Middlebury College -- The Campus, VT)
Grand Old Opera Mar 27, 2008
We remember "Aida" as a vehicle for Maria Callas, Leontyne Price and Renata Tebaldi, not for various opera choruses. Verdi also realized that in an opera populated with so many leaders who had to keep their true opinions hidden from the public, that private scenes and arias would need to be the vehicles for drama. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
More Of The Same Mar 25, 2008
The soundtrack mixes recordings of the operatic greatest hits (including recordings of Maria Callas) with party sounds, a smattering of '90s-ish dance music and, for good measure, Khachaturian's cartoony "Fire Dance.". It doesn't sound like it should work, but Kabaniaev rigs it together with his usual theatrical flair. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Italian opera great Di Stefano dies Mar 5, 2008
GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO, the Sicilian opera singer who partnered Maria Callas and launched the career of Luciano Pavarotti, died on Monday at his home near Milan, aged 86 ... He first performed alongside Callas in 1951 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in a production of La Traviata. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Giuseppe di Stefano, a Tenor Whose Career Flamed Out Too Early, Is ... Mar 5, 2008
In 1972-73, he and Maria Callas made a disastrous tour of the Americas, Asia and Europe, with critics panning their performances. Mr. di Stefano, who first sang with Ms. Callas in the early 1950s and later became her lover, rated her as the best diva with whom he ever sang ... Even when Callas s voice wasn t perfect, she had so much interpretation, he said. (New York Times)
Opera's di Stefano dies aged 86 Mar 5, 2008
Sicilian-born di Stefano was famed for his powerful voice and his duets with the late Maria Callas. He was best known for his roles in Verdi's Rigoletto and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. (BBC News -- Europe)
* World News Quick Take Mar 5, 2008
Giuseppe Di Stefano, one of the top tenors of the 20th century and a celebrated singing partner of soprano Maria Callas, died at his home near Milan. He was 86. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Celebrated Tenor Di Stefano Dies at 86 Mar 5, 2008
Di Stefano, one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century and a celebrated singing partner of soprano Maria Callas, died at his home near Milan, Italy, Monday, March 3, 2008 ... Di Stefano, one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century and a celebrated singing partner of soprano Maria Callas, died at his home near Milan, Italy, Monday, March 3, 2008 ... ROME - Giuseppe Di Stefano, one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century and a celebrated singing partner of soprano Maria Callas, died... (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Tenor di Stefano hurt in attack Mar 4, 2008
He is also famous for his duets with Maria Callas. SEE ALSO: 01 Dec 04 | Entertainment 18 Nov 04 | Entertainment 23 Sep 04 | Entertainment. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Obituary: Giuseppe Di Stefano, celebrated Italian tenor, dies at 86 Mar 4, 2008
Giuseppe Di Stefano, one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century and a celebrated singing partner of soprano Maria Callas, died Monday, his wife said ... Known for his powerful voice, Di Stefano also is remembered for his duets with Callas, who performed and recorded with him several times in the 1950s through her final tour in 1973. (International Herald Tribune)
Obituary: Giuseppe di Stefano Mar 4, 2008
One of the most exciting and unpredictable tenors of the postwar era, Giuseppe di Stefano, who has died aged 86, reached the height of his fame in partnership with the soprano Maria Callas on both stage and disc during the 1950s ... Meanwhile in September 1951 he appeared for the first time opposite Callas, in La Traviata at Sao Paolo, with Tito Gobbi, no less, as Father Germont ... He and Callas were soon singing regularly opposite each other, first at Mexico City, then at La Scala, and of... (Guardian Unlimited)
Mykonos: Greece's 'Super paradise' Feb 29, 2008
In an instant, I see how Mykonos earned its reputation as a magnet for famous and infamous jet-setters, from Jackie O. and Maria Callas to the Shah of Iran. And in an instant, my nagging concern that there's nothing to do here disappears. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Leslie's Grammy blog Feb 11, 2008
Nice to know that Maria Callas is being honored. Guess she won't mind not being up on stage because she's dead. (The Palm Beach Post)
Songs of longing, sung from the heart Feb 6, 2008
" She likes "big voices" - people such as Maria Callas, the Portuguese fado singer Mariza, Kurdish folk hero Ibrahim Tatlises ("he sounds like he's crying"), flamenco vocalist Miguel Poveda ("he sings with the sensibility of a woman") and, most remarkably, the high-pitched Spanish warbler Antonio Molina ("he sings like he has a bird in his throat"). Levy's own music incorporates touches of all these influences and has always involved a multicultural cast: the Egyptian star Natacha Atlas features... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Giuliani sputtering Jan 29, 2008
I longed for the Manhattan diva to reprise Maria Callas doing one of her famous Donizetti mad scenes that he loved so much. Watching him in colorful Miami in his funereal dark suit, I wondered, where's the red meat. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
M&B writer who saved Jews from Hitler Jan 27, 2008
Her flat in Dolphin Square at various times housed homeless European families, Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi. The sisters helped 29 people escape certain death, funded mainly by Ida's writing. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
Opa! First-ever Greek-American Performing Arts Fest set to debut at QTIP Jan 18, 2008
The audience is taken on a journey to some of the special moments in the career of celebrated Greek opera diva Maria Callas. When: Jan. 26, 10 p.m.. (Forest Hills Ledger, NY)
Nicholas George Andrian Jan 17, 2008
He was caught up in the swirl of music in New York and socialized with many artists including Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein and Maria Callas in the classical music world and such jazz players as John Coltrane and Miles Davis, among many others. Nicholas was a long-time member of The Players Club in New York, the former home of Edwin Booth, and given by him as a meeting place for people of the theater and professionals. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
Musical star Depp makes the cut Jan 15, 2008
Compare the artistry of Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. The perception that Callas was a dramatically mesmerising but vocally imperfect singer, and that Sutherland was the opposite, vocally glorious but dramatically flat, seems a gross simplification ... Callas could sing with exquisite technique and elegance, and Sutherland could sing with excitement and poignancy. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Sarkozy's New Romance Raises Eyebrows Dec 24, 2007
During holidays at the family castle in the Po Valley in northern Italy, which was packed with antiques her father collected, Bruni saw her parents receive guests such as Maria Callas, the soprano, and Herbert von Karajan, the conductor. Bruni was still a teenager when she decided to drop her art and architecture studies at the Sorbonne in Paris to become a model. (Fox News)
The Met @ The Music Hall starts Jan. 1 Dec 19, 2007
5) is Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, who some are calling the new Maria Callas. She has taken the opera world by storm her Traviata at Salzburg two years ago was such a hot ticket that scalpers were reportedly charging $7,000 a seat. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Callas memorabilia sells for 1m Dec 14, 2007
Callas memorabilia sells for 1m. Callas was married to Meneghini for 10 years ... A collection of memorabilia belonging to late opera star Maria Callas has fetched 1. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Callas's love letters fail to sell at auction Dec 13, 2007
Callas's love letters fail to sell at auction ... Documents and memorabilia from the life of Maria Callas went under the hammer in Milan yesterday but the soprano's passionate love letters to her Italian husband surprisingly failed to sell ... A spokeswoman for the auctioneers said the rest of the sale had gone well and interest in the letters may have been diminished by the fact that their contents had already been published in a book by Meneghini called My Wife Maria Callas. (Independent)
Memories of MariaPassion of opera star Maria Callas laid bare in love letter auction Dec 13, 2007
The battle for Callas' belongings ... Maria Callas became one of the world's most celebrated sopranos ... Bidding is expected to be brisk when a collection of memorabilia belonging to the late opera diva Maria Callas goes under the hammer at Sotheby's in Milan on Wednesday. (BBC News -- Europe)
Mel Gibson at 'Viva La Diva' premiere Dec 12, 2007
Viva La Diva' features Bussell dancing to music by Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, Audrey Hepburn and Moira Shearar, while Jenkins performs songs by Doris Day, Judy Garland, Maria Callas and Marilyn Monroe. . (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
The week aheadWhat could be grabbing the headlines in the next seven days Dec 10, 2007
Diva's dresses: Personal objects belonging to Greek-American opera diva Maria Callas, including ball gowns and love letters are to go under the hammer at an auction house in Milan. THURSDAY 13 DECEMBER. (BBC News)
Wagnerian dramaPassion, confrontation and theatrics on and off stage at La Scala Dec 9, 2007
The concierge reeled off the famous guests of the past: after Verdi, the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso and, of course, Maria Callas were all guests. English Tristan. (BBC News -- Europe)
Callas love letters go on display Dec 8, 2007
Memorabilia belonging to the late opera legend Maria Callas has gone on show in Milan, ahead of an auction next week ... The items are from the estate of Giovanni Battista Meneghini, to whom Callas was married for 10 years ... Auctioneers Sotheby's say a series of Callas' love letters to Meneghini could fetch up to 70,000 euros (50,575). (BBC News -- Entertainment)
'The Billy Elliot of opera' Dec 5, 2007
This year's winter exhibition in La Scala's museum is all about the times Maria Callas sang here. And the gift shop is loaded with commemorative merchandise celebrating Luciano Pavarotti. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Wedding: Jennifer Elaine Womack and Timothy Forrest Palmer Dec 5, 2007
The mother of the bride wore an azalea pink, layered georgette dress with matching shawl and carried a bouquet of white roses, white mini callas and white snapdragons. The groom s mother wore a long, lavender sleeveless dress with matching shawl and carried a bouquet of white roses, white mini callas, and blue delphinium. (WWalker County Messenger, GA)
Viva la Diva Lowry, Salford Nov 29, 2007
Yet she portrays Moira Shearer in Chicago with infinitely more conviction than Jenkins does Maria Callas in the Barber of Seville. It has to be said that hers is a voice better suited to belting out Land of My Fathers at the Millennium Stadium than skipping through the perilous coloratura of Rosina's skittish cavatina. (Guardian Unlimited)
Casts Cast Their Spells Nov 28, 2007
In much of this repertory, singers are often categorized as either the Callas type or the Sutherland. Given her fiery temperament, Guleghina moves toward the Callas end of the spectrum ... At times, as in the famous aria "Casta Diva," the sheer technical beauty of her singing had more of Sutherland's exquisite phrasing, but in her Medea-like vengeance, she was pure Callas. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
The Katherine Jenkins diversity show Nov 23, 2007
There was Maria Callas, obviously, but there was also, right at the other end of the range, Marilyn Monroe ... Like me, her influences have been very broad, so that while mine go from Callas to Doris Day, hers go from Fonteyn to Fred and Ginger. (Times Online)
Pick out a box set for every musical taste Nov 23, 2007
Maria Callas, Simply CallasWarner Classics, 6 CDs, $42Foundation: One of opera's most dynamic and dramatic divas, from her early recordings of Wagner and Bellini to full operas. Frills: The operas include the first complete one that Callas recorded in studio, La Gioconda, and her only existing studio recording of La Traviata. (USA Today -- Life)
Celine Dion dreams of winning Oscar Nov 19, 2007
Celine Dion dreams of winning an Oscar for portraying the late opera star Maria Callas in a Hollywood biopic of the soprano ... She says, "(In my dream) I am at the front row at the Academy Awards with my mother, husband and son and it's announced I have won the Oscar for my role as opera star Maria Callas."First I thank the Academy in English, then I speak Maria's language, Greek, then some French to thank the people at home. (FOX23.com, OK)
Priestess On A High Note Nov 14, 2007
The first Norma I heard was sung by Maria Callas, Adalgisa was Ebbe Stignani, and the tiny role of the Norma's confidante, Clotilde, was sung by an unknown but dangerously noticeable soprano called Joan Sutherland. That was a "Norma". (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Celine Dion is 'Taking Chances' with her latest show stopper Nov 12, 2007
"I had a vision. I was in the front row at the Academy Awards with my mother, husband and son, and I won an Oscar for my role as Maria Callas," says Dion, 39, conjuring up the ill-fated Greek opera diva whose story haunts the Canadian siren ... " Celine Dion, domestic goddess? Sure, that vision seems sweet. But it would be as if Elvis the King to her Las Vegas Queen had decided to cap his bright-light city triumph by returning to Graceland and retiring to his La-Z-Boy. Besides, Dion can't... (USA Today)
'Paved Paradise: The Songs of Joni Mitchell' has singer's stamp of approval Oct 28, 2007
"Believe me, I was lip-synching Maria Callas recordings at the Anvil [gay bar in New York] in punk drag in 1979," he says recently during a visit to Harvard Square, speaking in gentle tones that barely hint at his piercing Joni-esque tenor. "That's how I started. I was hanging out with all these amazing drag performers. But I'm trained as a dancer and a visual artist and now as a singer. . . . And so still I'm always grappling with the semantics of it.". (Boston Globe)
Straight from Venice Film Festival, the best films you'll never see Oct 27, 2007
The new documentary, "Callas Assoluta," by director Philippe Kohly, is the best of the many documentaries about soprano Maria Callas, uncovering information not widely known and focusing on her inner psychology and her conscious creation of her diva image. There's a market for this among Callas aficionados, and there are plenty of them. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Infotainment Oct 25, 2007
From love letters to evening dresses, personal belongings of Greek-American opera diva Maria Callas will be put up for sale in Milan in December. The material, released by the estate of her late husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini, unlocks aspects of the life Callas shared with the man she left. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Maria Callas Oct 24, 2007
Greeks aim to bring Callas collection home ... At stake is a fabulous array of intimate letters, jewels, evening dresses, furniture, paintings, photographs, unseen stage notes and annotated musical scores released by the estate of Callas's husband, the late Italian industrialist Giovanni Battista Meneghini ... Since Callas's premature death, at the age of 53 in the French capital, interest in the woman who would come to be known as La Divina, has never waned, with fan clubs proliferating... (Guardian Unlimited)
Killer queen Oct 19, 2007
It has received a few well-deserved revivals in recent times, but Cherubini's M;d;e, first heard in Paris in 1797, has proved hardier, thanks mainly to Maria Callas, who from 1953 made it one of her greatest roles. Callas starred in another remarkable Medea in 1969 - not an opera at all, but the film by Pier Paolo Pasolini, an uncomfortable mixture of vision and clumsiness. (Guardian Unlimited)
Vincenzo Bellini Oct 18, 2007
Opera Norma (highlights), either performed by Maria Callas or Dame Joan Sutherland in the leading role. Sources Consulted. (Suite101.com)
Kiri Te Kanawa bids farewell Oct 17, 2007
The voice followed suit, more speech than song; her adopted insouciance for "Voyage Paris" incongruously remained through the bittersweet "Les chemins de l'amour." The chatty tone also characterized a set in English, which found Dame Kiri impersonating her temperamental opposite, Maria Callas. Works by Puccini and Cilea closed the program in more sober territory, but a trio of encores brought back the vampy demeanor: After Latin postcards from Ginastera and Guastavino, Richard Rodney Bennett's... (Boston Globe)
Cardiff singer ready to take jazz world by storm Oct 11, 2007
"Beyond the training were the influences. Her parents' record collection. The Sergio Mendes and Beatles albums she bought at a thrift store. The Sinatra songs she heard on the radio. And the female singers who have inspired and shaped her: Maria Callas, Julie Andrews, Sarah Vaughan, Margaret Whiting, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Edith Piaf were all on her list, punctuated with "anyone who sang Gershwin. " She also wrote of buying imported CDs from Italy, France and Brazil, and of hushing her... (North County Times)
Mad To The Bone Sep 26, 2007
I first encountered it in 1953 with an upcoming soprano called Maria Callas, and six years later saw Joan Sutherland's diva-making act in Franco Zeffirelli's production. This new Met staging surpasses any I have seen. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Legend lives on| Sep 16, 2007
A full 30 years after her death, diva Maria Callas, the most celebrated opera singer of the post-World War II period, remains both a favourite for opera-lovers and a legend outside the world of classical music. A figure of high drama both on and off-stage, Callas died alone in her Paris apartment aged only 53 on 16 September 1977 ... Recordings of Callas, a versatile soprano with an unforgettable voice, have since featured almost permanently on music publisher EMI's catalogue, which estimates... (iAfrica.com)
Callas belongings to be auctioned Sep 11, 2007
An auction of memorabilia belonging to the late opera legend Maria Callas is to be held in Milan in December, Sotheby's has announced ... The items are from the estate of Giovanni Battista Meneghini, to whom Callas was married for 10 years ... Callas, who was born in New York, established her career in Italy before returning to the United States. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Maria Callas memorabilia from husband's estate to be auctioned in Milan Sep 10, 2007
Maria Callas memorabilia from husband's estate to be auctioned in Milan - International Herald Tribune. Maria Callas memorabilia from husband's estate to be auctioned in Milan ... A collection of soprano Maria Callas memorabilia from the estate of her husband of 10 years, including love letters, photographs and musical scores, will be auctioned by Sotheby's Milan later this year, the auction house said Monday. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
After Pavarotti, goodbye to living large Sep 8, 2007
When soprano Maria Callas dropped 60 pounds in the mid-fifties, critics opined that she had also lost her voice ... "But when you listen to the recordings of Callas now, you realize she sounded exactly the same before and after the weight loss.". (Globe and Mail)
LUCIANO PAVAROTTI: 1935-2007 Sep 7, 2007
Like Callas, it was one of those voices that as soon as you heard just two notes on the radio, right away you knew who it was. "He loved the audience, he lived for the audience - at the end of every concert, he would have this incredible smile on his face. And he popularized opera, because he was one of the very few opera stars whose name everybody knew.". (San Francisco Chronicle)
> For the love of Luciano Sep 6, 2007
Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Local. JavaScript based drop down DHTML menu generated by NavStudio. (Rocky Mountain News)
A Russian Great Aug 30, 2007
Before leaping to freedom, he learned to defy gravity. Article:Before leaping to freedom, he learned to defy gravity:/c/a/2007/08/28/DDOEROU94. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Before leaping to freedom, he learned to defy gravity Aug 30, 2007
To all Safari Browser users. Our implementation of comments on SFGate causes the back button to break on all versions of Safari. (San Francisco Chronicle)
TIFF announces complete lineup, celebrity visitors Aug 26, 2007
Rebellion: The Litvinenko Case, and musical featureson The Who, Lou Reed, Joy Division and Maria Callas are among the eight documentaries announced on Wednesday, bringing TIFF's total Real to Reel program to 32 titles. For the first time, the festival will open its Doc Talks series to the public. (CBC.ca)
Divas battle booze, drugs, depression Aug 24, 2007
" "The interest in musical theatre and opera has grown greatly just in the last few years," Austrian music critic Wilhelm Sinkowitz said. "Opera always was stressful and back then, if someone like (Maria) Callas cancelled that was a catastrophe for those who paid to see her. "But all of that has been amplified - there are more and more performances and more and more pressure," Sinkowitz said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Director confirms "Godly Detective" to vie for Gold Lion Aug 21, 2007
The other is "Callas Assoluta" by the French documentary filmmaker Philippe Kohly, commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the death of the world famous soprano Maria Callas. The film will run for this year's Horizons Documentary Prize. (Xinhuanet, China)
'Disengagement' set for Venice Aug 20, 2007
Callas documenary also added to Lido lineup8/17/07 8:13am 'Echo,' 'Brick' also on Directors sidebar8/17/07 7:48am Organizers plan ambitious first edition8/17/07 4:39pm Event to hold seventh edition on April 238/16/07 4:11pm 'Wits,' 'Exile' nab nine nominations each8/16/07 3:57pm Film will premiere in Toronto Film Festival8/16/07 9:35am Prize for femme-focused film at San Sebastian8/16/07 8:07am Festival organizers unveil global film slate8/15/07 4:12pm 'Persepolis' to screen on closing... (Variety)
Attitude at altitude: opera's young talents step up Aug 17, 2007
Matthews mentions this as an aside, yet she can barely disguise the mix of apprehension and excitement about making her debut in a pinnacle part famously interpreted by Maria Callas and Dame Joan Sutherland, and getting to work with Bonynge, who will conduct the revival in the winter season next year. It will co-star Eric Cutler and Jose Carbo. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Sixty and successful Aug 11, 2007
1957 Opera singer Maria Callas, below, performs with La Piccola Scala. 1960 Beyond the Fringe launches the careers of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore, right. (Scotsman)
Groundbreaking Beatles performance drew sharp criticism, new documents show Jul 22, 2007
The band, who wrote the song "All You Need Is Love'' for the broadcast, appeared alongside opera singer Maria Callas and artist Pablo Picasso on the "Our World'' broadcast in June 1967. A log of viewer comments to the British Broadcasting Corp., which screened the program in Britain, released under Freedom of Information laws, shows Britain's segment was heavily criticized. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Why I swapped the Clash for Chopin Jul 22, 2007
It comprised three records by Maria Callas, an Erik Satie collection, Gorecki's wondrous Symphony No 3, Sorrowful Songs (the Dawn Upshaw recording that everyone went gaga about a few years ago), and an LP of Von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmonic, which included Albinoni's Adagio in G minor, a piece I had heard on the soundtrack of Peter Weir's epic war film, Gallipoli ... If you are not quite ready for the titanic voices of Caruso and Callas, Gigli and Moffo might ease your way. (Guardian Unlimited)
Opera's American accent Jul 8, 2007
"What Beverly has shown since 1966 is that an American singer can take up where Maria Callas left off," Time magazine declared in 1971. The shining Sills smile, which lit up so many photographs over the decades, was warm and a product of driven persistence. (Boston Globe)
Beverly Sills was everyones favorite diva Jul 5, 2007
Sills wasn t larger than life like a Maria Callas or Joan Sutherland, who also dominated the bel canto repertory during the 60s and 70s. Beverly - and everyone called her that - was a matter-of-fact child prodigy who still managed to have an international reputation even though she championed smaller companies and spent most of her time singing in America. (Boston Herald)
Opera star Sills dies at 78 Jul 4, 2007
Along with sopranos Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland, Sills helped secure the revival of bel canto opera, most notably by starring in three works by Donizetti -- "Anna Bolena," "Maria Stuarda" and "Roberto Devereux" -- in which she played British queens. Her performances of Cleopatra in City Opera's historic production of Handel's "Giulio Cesare" at Lincoln Center in 1966 marked not just the beginning of her superstardom, but also the start of a rediscovery of that composer's operas, a... (Variety)
