Tuesday, September 16, 2008

1977 - 2008.


Exclusively @ parsifal's


31 years later...



Photos of La Divina never before published

Maria enjoying the greek islands



Maria, Christos Lambrakis and company



Maria in Glyfada, Athens, 1959

Maria at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus watching Fonteyn-Nureyev

Maria in Athens

Some of them hang on my walls...

When I was young(er) I used to think that it was kind of a sacrilege not to listen to Maria's voice for at least one minute every single day... I never thought though that I was a "vedovo di Callas". After so many years and when I go back to her recordings I always go "Wow! OMG, listen to this!"

What I have here for you is the original broadcast of that hot August night of 1957 in Athens. Listen to the speaker going crazy as Maria Meneghini Callas goes on stage...Listen to his trembling voice, full of emotion describing every single detail...


Maria's first entry - D'amor sull ali rosee

Ovation after Pace mio dio - Callas and Karamanlis

AND

Callas in Paris. One of the last performances. Norma's entrance. The audience goes crazy.


...Tu doni,spargi doni, hai bisogno di donare,
ma il tuo dono te l’ha dato Lui, come tutto;
ed è Nulla il dono di nessuno;
io fingo di ricevere;
ti ringrazio, sinceramente grato;
Ma il debole sorriso sfuggente
Non è di timidezza;
è lo sgomento, più terribile, ben più terribile
di avere un corpo separato, nei regni dell’essere-
se è una colpa
se non è che un incidente: ma al posto dell’Altro
per me c’è un vuoto nel cosmo
un vuoto nel cosmo
e da là tu canti.

P.P. Pasolini

19 comments:

kyzikos said...

σε καταλαβαίνω απόλυτα και ανατρίχιασα από τα κλιπάκια, αυτό ειδικά από τη νόρμα, και ξέρεις ρε Parsi σκέφτομαι ώρες-ώρες ότι μια φωνή μπορεί να αποτελεί μεγάλο πολιτικό γεγονός(και δεν εννοώ σκάνδαλο), να προκαλέσει μιά ολόκληρη επανάσταση.

mahler76 said...

να σαι καλά για το αφιέρωμα. Φιλιά.

Teresa G. said...

qué precioso post dedicado a LA DIVA,...y esos versos de Passolini que lo cierran...son realmente estremecedores.

Anonymous said...

Did I ever tell you how much I love your blog??

Ilaria - vedova callas (but a cool one!)

Anonymous said...

Thea Callas. Gia kanenan allon den borei na to pei kaneis se auton ton kosmo! O Theos mas esteile enan aggelo epi tis gis gia na mas mathei na ginomaste kalyteroi. Terastia i klironomia pou mas exei afisei. Terastia kai pagkosmia....
Mia toso ''asximi'' foni apo mia oxi ''toso'' omorfi gynaika opos elegan, katafere auto pou pote den eixe kataferei oute prokeitai na kataferei kaneis.... Na aggiksei tis psixes ekatomyrion anthropon.... Stenaxoriemai pou epi gis den borese na brei auto pou toso ithele... agapi... isos na tin brike gia poly ligo kai meta na tis efyge... einai megalo baros gia olous tous mousikous na akoune apo tin Callas ligo prin pethanei na leei ''je me sens completement inutile...'' aisthanomai teleios axristi... Giati na einai toso skliros autos o kosmos? MARIA SE AGAPAME ME OLH THN DYNA,H THS KARDIAS MAS KAI MAKARI NA FOTIZEIS TON DROMO STA TALENTA POU THA ERTHOUN KAI POU THA PROSPATHISOUN NA KANOUN KATI APO AUTO POU EPRAKSES ESY GIA THN TEXNH! YPOKLINOMASTE!

Anonymous said...

DEAR P.

H KALLAS EIXE MESA THS THN ANARXIA.

ANETREPSE TA PANTA ME BASH TON ATOMIKO AYTOPROSDIORISMO THS STHN OPERA. KYRIARXISE TELIKA O NOMOS THS..............

anarxikos

Gonzalo Tello said...

Parsi: Te metiste a la casa d la familia y robaste las fotos?? jaja!
saludos.

Parsifal said...

I m very glad you liked it guys! Today is Callas day. Damned will be whoever listens to anything else (and especially to any of the modern model-sopranos...)

@ Gonzalo

Pues, sabes como soy....me meto por todas partes...jejeje

@ Anarxikos

Oso pernaei o kairos toso pio poly mou areseis...

Anonymous said...

parsifal mporeitai na valete pola apospasmata apo thn norma 1965 paris

Ντεμης said...

Συγχαρητήρια! Είσαι τεράστιος!
Θυμάμαι - πριν έντεκα χρόνια νομίζω - που έκανε ο Κυριάκος Λουκάκος εκείνη τη μαραθώνια σειρά εκπομπών για την Κάλλας στο Τρίτο, κάποια στιγμή είχε πει: "Επιτρέψτε μου ένα προσωπικό σχόλιο. Ήμουν πολύ μικρός εκείνη την ημέρα του '77 στο εξοχικό μας κάπου στην Αττική, όταν άκουσα στο ραδιόφωνο για τον θάνατο της Μαρίας Κάλλας. Αποσύρθηκα στο δωμάτιό μου, άνοιξα το πικ-απ και έβαλα να παίξει το Mercé dilette amiche, to boleró της Ἐλενα από τους Σικελικούς Εσπερινούς του Βέρντι, στην ηχογράφηση της Κάλλας."
Εγώ από τότε αυτό ακούω κάθε χρόνο τέτοια μέρα, και το Ah! non credea mirarti από την Υπνοβάτιδα του Μπελλίνι, που θεωρώ ό,τι καλύτερο ερμήνευσε ποτέ.
Το ίδιο με τον Κυριάκο τότε με συγκίνησες κι εσύ σήμερα Πάρσι μας....

Anonymous said...

Great pictures, will listen to soundclips later for sure. I listened to the Callas/Schwarzkopff Turandot for the zillionest time this weekend and can hardly believe that this recording is almost over 50 years old. One (at least I) never tires of listening to La Divina Callas! Thanks Parsi!

Anonymous said...

If only the Hellenic Ministry of Culture acknowledged Maria's greatness with actions not just words! They should have a giant poster of hers in the front of Megaron hanging permanently and a permanent exhibition inside the building presenting her life and all that she left behind including the scholarship to young artists. Maria is not a dead matter but an eternal present as much as Art was and is.

josep said...

Fantàsticas fotos, de donde las sacas?. Emotivo y merecido homenaje a la más divina que jamás ha cantado óperra.
Felicidades y grácias por compartir las fotos.

Anonymous said...

I too listen to Callas, when I am in the mood to wretch up my dinner. Good God, why are so many people so fucking gullible, and clearly so fucking deaf?

Parsifal said...

I will answer by using an Einstein quote:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."

And you just proved him right (once again I guess).

Hallelujah for the guy that finally uncovered the Callas fraud! (I m quite sure you had a very miserable childhood and you just seek attention. But you won't find it here.)

mahler76 said...

Οκ το έζησα κι αυτό. Να αποκαλούν την Κάλλας άφωνη!!! χαχαχαχα, thanks στον Ανώνυμο. χαχαχα

Anonymous said...

Good one, Parsi! :-))

Anonymous said...

Pes ta megale Parsi!!! Osoi exoun psyxologika ston trelogiatro, oxi edo mesa!!! H opera milaei stin psixi, ara o 'monsieru' kapou tha tin exei xasei...

Cinestef said...

Ax! Ti na po!
Eisai theos in your own way, Parso mou!
Yperoxa!