85 Years of the Operatically Divine

To the Greatest Diva Who Ever Lived...

Happy Birthday, La Divina.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZiOIi1nUsM0

Celine Dion + Maria Callas= ?!?!?! CONFUSION ?!?!

According to the amazing La Cieca, Celine will be playing our divine Maria Callas in an upcoming "biopic"????? Okay, maybe she just wants to and its not actually going to happen. Who knows, with Bocelli at the Met and a Charlotte Church Butterfly in place (just kidding!) anything is possible! =)




In other news...
Has anyone noticed that Aprile Millo has a beautiful blog? Well she does! It's wonderful and I check it all the time to see her new pictures and videos and see what news she has next!!! =) Yea, work it, Aprile!!!!!! =) It's called Operavision and the link is here. Enjoy because I do!!!

Happy Listening! =)

La Divina

Maria Callas

December 2, 1923- September 16, 1977

Sixty Years Ago Today...

So I haven't been writing for a while. I've been, I'm sorry to say this, waiting for another singer to die. Oops, that wasn't nice, but it's true. It's the closest thing we have to news and gossip these days.
Anyway, since no one has died this week I decided to celebrate an anniversary.

Sixty years ago today Maria Callas made her "official debut" at the Arena di Verona in La Gioconda. At tonight's performance at Arena di Verona they will be handing out postcards with pictures of Maria Callas in various roles.
Happy Anniversary to La Divina and the opera world!!

(On a low note, let us remember that a month ago tonight our dear Beverly Sills left us. I just needed to put a damper on things, yes.)

10 Reasons Why We Love Maria Callas

1. She showed prospective opera singers that their voices don't have to sound like the angels to qualify (although it helps!)
2. She showed the world that opera also has acting involved. Acting is important in opera!
3. We have some one to compare all the "new" or even "bad" opera singers to.
4. She can sing Turandot one night then turn around and sing Rosina the next.
5. If you want to piss off your opera-hating relatives, you just turn her Lucia on.
6. If you want to impress your opera-loving friends, you just turn her Tosca on.
7. You can always distinguish her voice. If someone was to ask you "Who is the soprano singing here?" You don't have to decide whether it's Kiri te Kanawa's or Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. You always know it's her. (I'm not saying that Dame Kiri and Schwarzkopf sound the same, but they had the same kind of soprano voice =])
8. You can trust that practically all of her full opera recordings will have either Tito Gobbi or Giuseppe DiStefano.
9. Her Tosca is like no other. Ever.
10. Her Turandot is believable. Because you all know that you chuckle when an ugly Turandot gets kissed by Calaf. Come on, you know you do.

Viva La Divina!