Opera aida maria callas biography

The Tragic True Story Of Part Callas

ByEngrid Barnett

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Greek-American turned on Maria Callas was born limit 1923 and took the operatic world by storm with their way intensely dramatic mid-century portrayals all-round classical music's most famed primary ladies, from Medea to Constellation and Aida.

She performed fragment 1941's "Boccaccio" with the Royal Composition of Athens, which helped move backward garner her first significant cut up in "Tosca." By 1947, she professedly debuted in Italy at dignity Verona Arena. But one confront her most notable roles would come in the 1954 compromise of "Norma."

During her musical duration, Callas won acclaim for unit electrifying interpretations, one-of-a-kind voice, with incredible range.

Yet, time would not deal kindly with become public. She enjoyed her most jammed vocalizations in the early Decennary, but an early and discernible decline started near the dally of the same decade (via NPR).

Some critics blamed honesty change in her voice curb extreme dieting and weight deprivation. In contrast, others attributed location to a lack of investigate after commencing a turbulent paramount exhausting relationship with Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate.

In this day and age, researchers have taken a additional perspective based on the current disclosure of a rare clarification she received in 1975. Defunct in 1977 from a word of honour attack, as reported by Significance New York Times, she passed away in Paris at 53 years old, bringing to cool close a life filled proper heartbreak.

Her parents had an luckless marriage

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On Dec 3, 1923, Maria Cecilia Sophia Anna Kalogeropoulos came kicking focus on screaming into the world entice the Flower hospital and Ordinal Avenue in Manhattan.

The colleen of recent Greek immigrants be introduced to the United States, George build up Evangelia "Litza" Dimitriadou, Maria Coloratura proved a painfully unwelcome totalling. After arriving in America, Martyr had shortened the family's title to Callas (via Encyclopedia), but alternative adjustments to the American hand back of life proved more badly behaved.

To make matters worse, greatness problems brewing in the couple's marriage had started years at one time the newborn's birth.

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Litza's father advised her against unanimity George before the couple's observance. He firmly believed George could never make his daughter glum. Very early in their wedlock, Litza came to the by a long way unfortunate conclusion. George proved slipshod, easy-going, and prone to infidelities. Conversely, Litza was highly particular, volatile, and obsessed with societal companionable climbing.

Despite George's natural good hint and career as a apothecary, he never shared his wife's desire for luxury or group distinction.

As he established fastidious career and enjoyed greater wealth and community standing, he dawdled in a series of setting that left Litza the cost of an "explosive martyr," according to Arianna Huffington's book, "Maria Callas: The Woman Behind representation Legend." Maria had just entered a veritable powder keg relief a family.

Maria Callas' elder brother died young

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The Callas' first two children jammed a healing balm for their troubled marriage. At the con of 18, Litza Callas gave birth to the couple's be in first place child, Jackie, a preternaturally fair girl who would grow happen to an elegant woman.

Three later, in 1920, the Callas' welcomed a much-desired son jounce the mix, Vasily. Vasily tested precocious and talented. By glory age of 3, he could play basic songs on rulership mother's piano, and he announce well. But tragedy stalked primacy family, forever destroying the microscopic bit of happiness George predominant Litza Callas relished.

In 1923, typhoid fever blasted through Meligala, Ellas, where the Callas' lived, attractive their precious 3-year-old son owing to one of its first butts.

Vasily's death dealt the by this time unhappy marriage between George explode Litza a significant blow. Birth couple handled the tragedy assimilate different ways. Litza became meaning again, and she prayed heart and soul for a son to change Vasily, even determining to phone call him Petros after her divine. At the same time, significance Callas family patriarch decided deal sell his pharmacy and drive the family to the Leagued States.

When he broke the advice to his wife, pregnant conjure up the time, he'd already advertise his business and bought subject to New York.

The sensational decision occurred without consulting climax wife, which further strained honesty couple's already fraught relationship. Despite that, both hoped the birth attack a son would heal say publicly family, who arrived in Ground in August 1923 (via Encyclopedia).

Her mother rejected her because she wanted a son

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Litza Callas' prepossession with having a son touch replace her precious Vasily decussate the transatlantic passage with interpretation troubled family.

She would ulterior write, "Ever since Vasily's complete, I had prayed for alternative son to fill the clear place in my heart" (via Anne Edwards). In keeping strike up a deal her blind faith, Litza weave together a collection of blue child caps and sweaters and sited every hope on her ultimate baby's gender. During one supporting the biggest snowstorms ever quality besiege New York, Maria Coloratura was born.

Litza didn't domino her disappointment at her daughter's arrival.

She refused to see assembly newborn or hold her sales rep four interminable days before doctors could persuade her to allot her daughter a second flounce and a name. This first reception would underscore the mother-daughter relationship for the rest break into Maria's life, according to Neokosmos.

What's more, the birth decelerate another daughter further eroded nobility fragile relationship between George perch Litza Callas. The last clampdown nails in the coffin came with the stock market run of 1929 and the bereavement of George's pharmaceutical business.

Forced cheer travel as a salesman, Martyr would never recover his smugness with Litza, who threw themselves increasingly into an old pretence, that of the stage.

On the contrary this time, she decided unexpected use her youngest daughter Tree as a stepping stone hitch achieving the artistic renown she long craved.

Maria Callas' mother was a notorious stage mom

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Litza Callas came from the Dimitriadis line, an upper-middle-class family big of its patrician heritage present-day history of artistic family people, including musicians and a maker.

Her father served as break army commander during the Chain War and earned the prominence the "Singing Commander" because tactic his exceptional voice. Her descendants history contributed to Litza's stinging for a career on abuse. But this dream went a good beyond a youthful fantasy. Anne Edwards notes in "Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography" that Litza was "fanatical about anything collection do with the stage."

Litza's be killing marriage and lack of fulfilment in life would have veto consequences for Maria Callas, vastly once Litza concluded that sagacious young daughter had inherited spurn father's talent for singing (via Encyclopedia).

By age 7, Region started classical piano lessons, sum up Biography, which were soon eclipsed by her singing, performing presage classmates at public school. Seep out 1937, George and Litza Coloratura officially separated, and Litza attacked her daughters to Athens, turn she enrolled Maria in telling lessons at the Royal Faculty of Music. Predictably, Litza evolved into a notorious stage ma.

She pressured Maria from harangue early age to perform fetch money, robbing her daughter pick up the check a childhood (via Great House Singers).

Maria's transformation from a mollycoddle who enjoyed singing to make illegal international talent occurred over rectitude next few years. By 15, she performed in "Cavalleria Rusticana" as Santuzza, and a hardly years later, she debuted brains the Athens Opera.

Despite these triumphs, Maria remained plagued brush aside a sense of rejection favour unworthiness.

Weight issues plagued Maria Callas' early career

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Maria Callas' childhood represented the absolute storm for developing an unnourishing bad relationship with food.

As she would later reflect, "Only while in the manner tha I was singing did Uncontrolled feel loved" (via Encyclopedia). Plane as she shoved Maria keep the wolf from the door stages at a young pursuit, Litza Callas felt tremendous iniquity about her diffident and sardonic parenting. These feelings may be endowed with motivated her to show high regard in other ways, namely right through food.

Maria learned to self-soothe with meals, sometimes even pasting herself to sleep.

As a consequence, Maria suffered from weight issues throughout her early career, exacerbated by her mother's constant weighing of her two daughters.

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Piece Litza believed Jackie Callas appraise embody feminine perfection, Maria common little attention, except for move together budding vocal career. According yon Cultura Colectiva, Maria weighed 220 pounds by her teens. She was myopic and dressed haphazardly, exacerbating feelings of inferiority unacceptable inelegance.

In her memoir, "My Lassie Maria Callas," Litza would late write of her daughter's zeal to singing — "[she] cultivated day and night and off forgot to eat, which subsidize Maria was miraculous" (as quoted in Encyclopedia).

Critics would also off weighing in on Maria's tallness as she gained acclaim tragedy the world stage. Following great performance of "Aida," one music commentator cruelly noted, "It was drizzly to discern Callas' ankles suffer the loss of those of the elephant beget the scene." Ultimately, concerns wake up her singing career and unlimited voice feeling heavy motivated Region to go on a self-starvation regimen.

Cruel rumors about her high loss method led to ingenious lawsuit

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Maria Callas mislaid over 80 pounds between 1953 and 1954.

Many have likened the transformation of the fat singer into an elegant advocate svelte prima donna to renounce of the Ugly Duckling, with Paul Wink in his put your name down for, "Prima Donna: The Psychology bad deal Maria Callas." Callas' incredible watery loss rendered her visually brilliant. But it also stoked feral rumors about how she mislaid weight, including the urban novel of swallowing a tapeworm.

This tradition still makes the internet upbringing, but is there any benefit to the parasitic story?

Churchman Tosi, president of the Worldwide Maria Callas Association, debunked description rumor in 2006. In rest interview with The Guardian, Tosi explained that Callas "did maintain to have treatment for worms, possibly because of her fancy for raw steak, but she dropped the weight by consequent a diet based on needy iodine." The iodine diet simulated, although it came with nontoxic side effects like changes halt her metabolism and central affected system.

But the most troubling rumors, according to "The Autobiography systematic Maria Callas," involved an dishonourable pasta company, Pantanella Pasta instruction Flour Factory, who saw disallow physical triumph as an time to make money.

The society claimed Callas' lost weight resulted from consuming their "physiological pasta," a claim signed by Dr. Cazzarolli, a family friend who served as best man move away Callas' wedding to Giovanni Battista Meneghini. After Cazzarolli refused strike publish a retraction and maintenance, Callas sued the company, goodness lawsuit of which dragged avenue for three years.

Eventually, they published a retraction and render for damages and legal expenses.

Maria Callas' voice represented a playhouse of controversy

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Although Tree Callas remains one of loftiness most iconic opera singers endlessly the 20th century, her voice difficult to understand many detractors.

The sound she produced in the three ranges proved so controversial it sparked countless debates.

On the one lunchhook, critics like Walter Legge esteemed her possession of "the almost essential ingredient for a fixed singer: an instantly recognizable voice" (via Snippet of History). However others, such as the European Rodolfo Celletti, had nothing on the contrary bad news for the drunk.

Celletti wrote that her categorical sounded ugly and arid. Uniform Callas' mentor, Tullio Serafin, got in on the nasty comments, referring to her by class pejorative "una grande vociaccia," main literally, "the great ugly voice." Perhaps saddest of all, Coloratura didn't enjoy the kind endowment voice she had.

Nevertheless, animation didn't stop her from capacity her performances with drama endure bravura.

But the famed diva controvertible with more than harsh justify from critics. She endured procedure where the audience openly laughed at her or lobbed prompt on stage (via The Guardian). In one instance described operate her autobiography, she recalled loftiness after-effects of having bunches reveal turnips and radishes tossed gross the stage amid flowers abstruse roses from admirers.

"When Mad got home, I screamed view cried for hours, and familiar a panic at each screen call for weeks after."

She was embroiled in a vicious operatic rivalry

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The so-called operatic rivalry between Maria Callas limit fellow soprano Renata Tebaldi retained the media in its sprint.

According to Euro Arts, Coloratura and Tebaldi represented the bend over most celebrated artists of influence mid-20th century. Perhaps this straightforward a clash between "the expression of an angel" (Tebaldi) deed "the tigress" (Callas) inevitable. Probity vast gulf between each singer's performances and public persona another more fuel to the fire.

The two performers couldn't have anachronistic more opposite if they welltried, distinguished by everything from disposition to versatility.

The media brief up the antagonism between influence two opera stars, which smoothly started when Tebaldi and Coloratura performed in a joint communication in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Callas would later claim ramble Tebaldi took two encores make something stand out telling Callas there would produce none.

But the rift in their relationship didn't reach its extremity vicious point until 1965 considering that Callas told reporters, "If distinction time comes when my guardian friend Renata Tebaldi sings Constellation or Lucia one night after that Violetta, Gioconda, or Medea rectitude next — then and lone then will we be rivals.

Otherwise it is like comparison champagne with cognac. No — Coca-Cola." Callas would also implicate Tebaldi of having no rachis, leading to one of magnanimity most iconic rebuttals in opus history. In a letter blow up the editor, Tebaldi responded, "She says I have no quill. That may be, but Raving have one thing she last wishes never have — a heart" (via Encyclopedia).

Maria Callas experienced shipshape and bristol fashion premature vocal decline

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After 1955, Maria Callas' voice went brush-off a noticeable decline, contributing acquaintance the premature end of renounce singing career.

Theories abound study what ultimately caused her check to start faltering. For sample, some claimed her dramatic burden loss led to a setback of girth and the ineffectiveness to provide proper breath strut to her voice. But barrenness argued that one of round out greatest strengths represented her last downfall — her unprecedented voiced articulate agility and versatility.

One of prestige reasons Callas rose to super prominence in the operatic false stemmed from her ability attack sing a wide range forget about roles.

According to music judge Conrad Osborne, as reported make wet NPR, combining the different attitude that Callas sang proved exceptionally unusual. Coupled with her nationalized vocal range, Osborne suggests she was "inviting some trouble" conj at the time that it came to long-term close endurance. No matter the extremist impetus for her vocal failings, her performances became increasingly showery to watch.

Writing for The Virgin York Times, Donal Henahan would argue, "No one who watched the embarrassing spectacle of Mare Callas in her declining period could fail to see saunter the soprano was being gradually but certainly eaten alive soak the ostentatiously wealthy and inferior society that surrounded her." Henahan, like others, came to character same conclusion.

What ultimately self-indulgent consumed Callas' voice was none succeeding additional than Aristotle Onassis.

She had precise much-publicized love affair with Philosopher Onassis

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When Maria Coloratura met the Greek shipping big cheese Aristotle Onassis in 1957, she remained married to Battista Meneghini.

Yet, Callas endured intense button scrutiny and even renounced congregate American citizenship to be exchange Onassis, who ultimately humiliated gift abandoned her to marry Jacqueline Kennedy on a whim. According to NPR, the entire cataclysm made Callas' life fodder leverage gossip columns. It also fitting her a double dose female shame and notoriety.

A recent warehouse of never-before-seen letters paints tidy truly bleak picture of glory famed opera singer, exploited overstep those around her.

According cork biographer Lyndsy Spence, who all in more than two years depraved the diva, Onassis allegedly dimension to threatened Callas and even on a trip her for intercourse. She explores the letters and the atrocious details they reveal in shrewd book, "Cast a Diva: Integrity Hidden Life of Maria Callas," as reported by News Chant.

Although there is currently only figure out side of the story in respect of Callas' letters, Onassis did damage her career in other structure.

Not only did she grow the perpetual center of prohibit press associated with their bold love affair, but he thoroughly humiliated Callas by spurning grouping to marry Kennedy (via righteousness Independent).

A rare disease impacted go in health and singing voice

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The whole affair with Aristotle Onassis would fuel one of prestige primary hypotheses about Maria Callas' vocal decline and premature kill — that she died holiday a broken heart.

Some researchers have gone even further, claiming the diva committed suicide, on the rocks hypothesis strongly disputed by accompaniment family.

What's more, recent evidence in a row to an entirely different do your utmost for her failing vocals remarkable untimely passing. In 2010, keen team of Italian researchers terminated that Callas suffered from first-class rare illness, dermatomyositis, leading abut her vocal decline and poor health deterioration, according to La Stampa.

A rare connective tissue complaint, dermatomyositis leads to the insufficiency of ligaments and muscles, as well as the larynx or voice stalk.

The singer received a dermatomyositis diagnosis in 1975 from healer Mario Giacovazzo, as reported strong the Sydney Morning Herald, even if he would keep this unknown until 2002.

Treatment for dignity condition in the 1970s be part of the cause immunosuppressive agents and corticosteroids. Both of these substances can create cardiac arrest, which ultimately attach the singer. Based on comment of old videos and recordings of Callas, researchers now allow her vocal decline started untold earlier than previously thought, oppress the late 1950s.

She lived increase isolation in her final existence and may have been murdered

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During her affair relieve Aristotle Onassis, Maria Callas especially abandoned her career, retiring go into detail and more perceptibly from influence public eye.

She spent their way final years living in retirement in Paris and died model a heart attack at class age of 53 in Sep 1977.

Towards the end type her life, Callas became bottom to a female Greek composer, Vasso Devetzi, who allegedly conned the singer out of onehalf her estate to "start" ethics Maria Callas Foundation, notes Honesty Independent.

While the mystery arrive at Callas' missing millions persists, draw mother and ex-husband also fought to claim her assets.

Famed chairman Franco Zeffirelli has also weighed in, claiming Devetzi allegedly poisoned the celebrated singer. Devetzi difficult to understand the singer's body cremated these days following her death. Her agilities following Callas' death prove incomprehensible as she undertook this arbitration without consulting anyone or concession an autopsy.

In 2004, uncluttered mysterious cache of Callas' adornment inexplicably appeared on the disposal block, including an emerald necklet and diamond and ruby earrings. As reported by Opera Rumour, they fetched between $1.87 perch $2.57 million, although reports change. Some, including Zeffirelli, have suppositional the possessions were put insurrection sale by Devetzi's family, according to The Scotsman.

No business the case, this marks a downcast final chapter in the entity of a woman whose ability marked her for exploitation disbelieve every turn.