Maria Callas Maria Callas Sings Donizetti

This compilation highlights Maria Callas’ major recorded performances in Donizetti’s works: as Paolina in Poliuto, or in the harrowing mad scenes from Lucia and Anna Bolena.

Maria Callas, soprano américaine d'origine grecque, est née à New York le 2 décembre 1923. Icône même de la diva, tant par la réussite exceptionnelle de sa vie professionnelle que par sa vie privée mouvementée, « la Callas » marquera profondément l'art lyrique du siècle dernier en bouleversant l'approche dramatique du jeu d'acteur.

Although the bel canto repertoire was crucial to Callas’s career, and she played a significant part in reviving its fortunes, she never sang any of the roles – from both serious and comic operas – that are represented in this recital. Gramophone said: ‘It is extraordinary how the whole quality and color of Callas’ voice changes as she moves from one character to another – for example, from the grand manner appropriate to the Babylonian queen [Semiramide] to the passion of the spoiled Italian duchess [Lucrezia Borgia] and thence to the simple charm of the countrywoman Adina [L’elisir d’amore]’.

The album includes some rarities, among them "Mira, o Norma" from Norma and "Santo di patria" from Attila. It also features excerpts from Sills' complete recording of Massenet's Manon plus excerpts from La Traviata and Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Readers familiar with Yogi Berra might comment that it's déjà vu all over again, as it has been not even two years since Deutsche Grammophon devoted a two-CD compilation to Beverly Sills. That one was called The Art of Beverly Sills (DG 471766-2), and it included 134 minutes of excerpts from "Bubbles's" operatic recordings and recitals. The Great Recordings does not copy a single note of what was on the earlier compilation, which is good, but I must grumble that the result is that Sills' Mozart and Richard Strauss record – one of my favorites – now has been divided between two separate releases and three separate discs, and that excerpts from her complete recordings of Manon and Hoffmann are similarly scattered. So much for continuity! Perhaps DG will repackage the two 2-CD sets and reunite the divided material. Better yet, perhaps they will embark on a comprehensive "Sills Edition" of everything they can get their hands on, and release it at a very reasonable price!

Some listeners might find the gimmick of “original jackets” sort of foolish, particularly when a) you cannot read the copy on the back if you are older than 15, and b) some of the CDs (taken, of course, from the original LPs) have as little as 40 minutes of music on them and only a couple have more than an hour. But the packaging is slim and nice (taking up the space of about 5 CDs), nostalgia sets in, the enclosed booklet reproduces the original essays (or excerpts from them) and includes track listings if not translations. And the low price for these 15 CDs (under $80.00) makes it very appealing from an entirely different angle.