Maria Callas
The Greek-American soprano Maria Callas (December 2, 1923 - September 16, 1977) was the most famous opera singer of the postwar period.
Callas combined an impeccable bel canto technique with great dramatic gifts, making her the most famous singing actress of the era. An extremely versatile singer, her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria, such as Spontini's La Vestale to late Verdi and the verisimo operas of Puccini.
Born Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos to Greek parents in New York City, she moved to Athens at age 13. Her stage debut was in 1939 as Santuzza, in Cavalleria Rusticana. In 1947, Callas made her Italian debut at the Verona Arena in La Gioconda. under the baton of La Scala, Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, Dallas Opera, Covent Garden, Palacio de las Bellas Artes, and the Colón. Every inch the Diva, her temper tantrums and walkouts became as legendary as her singing. Nearsighted, she refused to wear her glasses, and rarely wore her contact lenses. This frustrated many a conductor, who relies on the singer to watch for tempos. By the mid 1950s, strain on her voice started to become apparent; by 1958 it reached a point where she was no longer suitable for many roles. Her later stereo recordings evidence masterly musical interpretations with an increasingly unstable higher register that wobbled uncontrollably at times.
From October 1971 to March 1972, Callas gave a series of master classes to 25 students at The Juilliard School in New York, who auditioned for the opportunity to be critiqued by her. These were the basis of Terrence McNally's semi-factual play Master Class. In 1972, George Moore, president of the Met board, offered her the job of Artistic Director. She turned it down to stage a comeback recital tour. The 1973 tour was a disaster due to Callas's almost-completely destroyed voice.
In 1957, after a performance in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, Maria was introduced to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis at a party given in her honor by March 30, 1960. The affair ended nine years later, when Onassis left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of assassinated US president John F. Kennedy.
Heartbroken ("First I lost my voice, then I lost my figure and then I lost Onassis," she once said), Callas spent her last years living largely in isolation in Paris, where she died at age 53. Her ashes were buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. After being stolen and later recovered, they were scattered into the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Greece.
