Maria Xesus Froxan

A recording of Bellini's Norma is essential for every Callas collection.

Maria Yudina’s legacy has been released on disc before. Many volumes were devoted to her by Vista Vera and in my lengthy review of the first fourteen I devoted some space to the variable nature of the performances and of the original recordings.

Acclaimed as one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, Portuguese pianist Maria-João Pires is an artist who combines exquisite stylistic refinement with a serious effort to plumb the intellectual complexities and spiritual depths of music. Refusing to conform to the traditional image of a concert virtuoso, Pires emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of music, always searching for hidden meanings which may elude the analytical performer. This remarkable reverence toward works of music, clearly manifested in her performances of Mozart, was made explicit by her remark that, as a performer, she acts as a channel for the composer's ideas.

The amazing success of Maria Callas was not only related to her unique voice, but also to her stunning scenic charisma. The alchemy of the magnetic duets she shared with the elite of male Italian singing, then at its apex, have contributed to the legend of the Scala evenings. This collection of the most moving duets in Italian opera features such singers as Giuseppe Di Stefano, Franco Corelli, Richard Tucker and Tito Gobbi.

This Italian singer/songwriter and actress was born in Torre Annunziata in 1969. Making her debut at the famous Festivalbar singing contest in 1986 with the song "Ragazzo Solo" (Lonely Boy), she went on to become a popular recording artist. Specializing in Neapolitan pop, between 1993 and 2008 she recorded no fewer than nine albums, and in 2009 proved there was more than one string to her bow when she won the prestigious David di Donatello Award for her acting performance in Matteo Garrone's crime drama film Gomorra. In 2010 she performed at the Sanremo Music Festival, duetting with Nino d'Angelo on the song "Jammo Jà" (Come on Let's Go), and a year later her song "Ragione e Sentimento" (Hearts and Minds) featured on the soundtrack of the movie Tatanka. In 2013 she returned with the mini-album Libera (Free), heralding the record's arrival with another appearance at Sanremo, where she performed the songs "È Colpa Mia" (It's My Fault) and "Quando Non Parlo" (When I Do Not Speak).

Agata Bienkowska, Gian Luca Pasolini, Giuseppe Naviglio, Enrico Torre, Carlo Torriani, Paolo Lopez, Aurelio Schiavoni Orchestra Barocca La Confraternita de Musici, Cosimo Prontera.

cclaimed as one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, Portuguese pianist Maria-João Pires is an artist who combines exquisite stylistic refinement with a serious effort to plumb the intellectual complexities and spiritual depths of music. Refusing to conform to the traditional image of a concert virtuoso, Pires emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of music, always searching for hidden meanings which may elude the analytical performer. This remarkable reverence toward works of music, clearly manifested in her performances of Mozart, was made explicit by her remark that, as a performer, she acts as a channel for the composer's ideas.

Maria Callas wurde am 2. Dezember 1923 im New Yorker Stadtteil Washington Heights als zweite Tochter der griechischen Einwanderer George Kalogeropoulos (1881–1972) und Elmina Evangelia Dimitriadou (1894–1982) aus Meligalas geboren. Ihr älterer Bruder Vassilios war in Griechenland an Typhus gestorben. Die Eltern lebten zu diesem Zeitpunkt seit sechs Monaten in den USA.

While Puccini’s Tosca became closely identified with Callas, she appeared only rarely in other post-Verdi operas once she had risen to fame.

Am 2. Dezember 2023 feiert die Welt den 100. Geburtstag von Maria Callas.