Callas Norma

Callas… Toujours (1958)
French/Italian | Subtitle: It/Fr/En/De/Jp | 1:31 | 720 x 480 | NTSC | 16:9 | 29.97fps | MPEG-2 | LPCM mono | 48kHz
Genre : Classical/Concert | With Cover & Booklet scans
Publisher: EMI

It is a pity that so few recordings of Maria Callas in concert exist to leave the testimony of this genius of the singing and actor's play that she was. Only 5 recitals have been filmed (Paris 1958, Hamburg 1959 and 1962, Covent Garden 1962 and 1964), recorded on 3 DVD. Here is the first one of them (and maybe the best), Paris 1958.
I will upload the two others later on.

That Evening, Callas was to sing in Paris for the first time! We knew she had the vocal genius of a great Diva as well as the rages and outbursts expected of one. Regular opera-goers knew of her but she was unknown to most people. And that very evening, she was about to be revealed to them….. What an unforgettable evening! Three hours earlier, Callas had just been a Diva; at midnight she became a star for millions of viewers. It was a triumph for Callas and also for television because that emotion of years ago can still be felt today. Callas is present among us. For ever.

Maria Callas s talent as one of the world s greatest singing actresses remains unchallenged to this day and she has acquired legendary status as one of the most iconic figures in the world of classical music. There are very few films of Callas on stage, so it is through the medium of her audio recordings that her art lives on. She recorded exclusively for EMI for most of her career, and these six CDs present a fully representative sampling of her recorded legacy on EMI.

A true Callas cornucopia, this 70-CD set gathers together everything Maria Callas ever recorded in the studio. That's 26 complete operas (four of which are studio repeats), plus the complete studio recitals made during the legendary soprano's recording career, which lasted from 1949-69. The bonus CD-ROM contains libretti and translations in English, French and German, plus a Callas photo library, while remastered treats include Callas's first recital recording, originally made for the Fonit-Cetra label and featuring arias by Wagner and Bellini. –Barnes & Noble

The Secret of a Voice - Maria Callas
EAC RIP | FLAC CUE LOG | 297 MB | No COVER
Classical | 1 CD | Label: Fono Enterprise | Catalogue: FONO 1011 | Release Date: 2001 | RAR 1% Recovery | RS.com

Maria Callas (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the twentieth century. She combined an impressive bel canto technique with great dramatic gifts. An extremely versatile singer, her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini, and Rossini; further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, the music dramas of Wagner. Her remarkable musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina.

Renaissance of a voice: Maria Callas – Unforgettable arias sung by the most iconic diva of all time – remastered for the first time in high-definition sound from the original tapes, for an unprecedented sound quality that shines new light on the voice of Maria Callas. Allan Ramsay, remastering engineer at Abbey Road Studios: “With high definition, you’ll be able to experience sounds which have only been heard so far by people who were either present at Callas’s recording sessions, or who had access to the unique master tape… All we wanted to do is remove the specks of dust, as it were, and wipe the glass clean.”

Marking the 40th anniversary of Maria Callas’ death (16th September 1977), Maria Callas Live captures the legendary soprano in action on the stages of the world’s great opera houses and concert halls. Thanks to new audio remastering from the best available sources, this set reveals Callas’ compelling genius as a singing actress with a new truthfulness and immediacy. Containing 20 complete operas – including 12 works she never recorded in the studio – and five complete filmed recitals (with two different stagings of Act 2 of Tosca) on Blu-ray, Maria Callas Live is the indispensable complement to Callas Remastered, Warner Classics’ landmark collection of her studio recordings.

This CD box features Maria Callas, the unrivaled "prima donna assoluta," in her parade roles. Especially in Italian bel canto operas of the 18th and 19th centuries, the opera diva could shine like no other. Hear five grandiose recordings from the 1950s and enjoy the unique voice of one of the greatest stars of all time: - Gaetano Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor - Vincenzo Bellini: Norma - Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata - Giacomo Puccini: Tosca - Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana.

Callas Live Recordings - Live in Paris 1958 - CD 4 of 11
Classical | 1 CD | FLAC CUE LOG | NO COVER NO BOOK | 307 MB
EMI B000069V6R | Release Date: 2002

What is the reason for all of this? Some of it is due to publicity, of course. Callas' life had its controversial aspects (her glamour, her affair with Aristotle Onassis, her supposedly temperamental personality, etc.), and controversy, now as always, is a great marketing tool. If not controversy, then there's always tragedy. Her personal life and voice (apparently) in shambles, Callas spent her last years a virtual recluse in Paris, and her early death at age 53 rekindled a second wave of interest in all things "La Divina." Although her death was premature, neither suicide nor foul play appear to have been involved. (Both have been suggested.)