Maria Callas

Maria Callas (December 2, 1923 - September 16, 1977) was the most famous opera singer of the postwar period, a celebrated soprano. She combined an impeccable bel canto technique with great dramatic gifts, making her an extraordinary singing actress.

Born Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in New York City, she moved to Athens, Greece at age 13. Her debut was in 1939 as Santuzza, in Cavalleria Rusticana. A few years later, in 1947 she made another debut, this time in Italy and at Arena of Verona, with Tullio Serafin conducting La Gioconda. Together with Serafin Callas subsequently recorded and performed many bel canto operas, contributing greatly to the bel canto revival of the 1950s.

In the early 1950s, Callas made numerous appearances at the world's great opera houses: La Scala, Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, Dallas Opera, Covent Garden, Palacio de Belles Artes, and the Colón.

By 1954, however, strain on her voice started to become apparent, making her unsuitable for certain roles. Her later stereo recordings evidence masterly musical interpretations with an increasingly unstable higher register that wobbled uncontrollably at times.

In 1953, she began to lose some 65lb in weight over several years; she attributed this weight loss to an infection with a tapeworm, possibly resulting from her life-long raw-meat diet.

In November 1959, she left her husband Meneghini for Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, a love-affair that received much publicity. It ended nine years later, when Onassis left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of assassinated US president John F. Kennedy. Heartbroken, Callas spent her last years living largely in isolation in Paris, where she died at age 53. Cremated, her ashes were buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. After being stolen and later recovered, they were scattered into the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Greece.

Maria Callas has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1680 Vine Street.

External link

• Divina, the official website