Rating: 
Summary: Finally, Maria Callas on DVD!
Review: If you are a fan of Maria Callas, then you undoubtedly own the Hamburg Concerts on VHS format. If you love Maria Callas, then you're probably an audiophile, too! It's about time that Maria Callas' repertoire become available on DVD. The actual DVD is fantastic. A full menu allows the audeince to choose subtitles (in three languages) to the arias. A good stereo or digital stereo gives new life to these familiar concerts. This DVD is a must have for Callas fans!
Rating:
Summary: HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE
Review: Maria Callas a mezzo soprano? where did you hear that from? Madonna? or some other "credible critic"? A mezzo soprano with a high F in her throat ? a mezzo soprano with a low G in her throat? (both sung in her live Rossini Aarmida in 1952 in Firenze) well my dear poor ignorant fella, a low G to high F is a 3 octave range, and that is the range of the old type of soprani sfogati like Pasta and Malibran... Sutherland went Opera back 200 years by singing everything so boringly you never actually cared less whether the Heroine was dying or playing in her garden...Yes in this 1959 concert she omitts Julia's last high C and she has a problem - not exactly crack- with the high C in Lady Macbeth piece because the vocal problems were just starting to show but:
This is 1959... Callas has achieved a level of vocal culture, of Canto Parlato, that no-one else in the 20th century ever managed to approach. When she opens her mouth, she is definitive...
In "Tu che invoco con orrore" Julia, the small Norma as she was called, declares her fear and regret towards the Goddess Vesta/Hestias to whom she is a priestess. The classical meter and style of singing with no exaggerations at all is obvious at the first part of the aria... Then Julia realizes that Vesta is refusing her plea "Vesta ricusi i voti miei" and an agonizing vocal and orchestral allegro begins which for 3 minutes creates an unbelievable psychological allegro in our hearts. The High Art in this second part in the Voice of Callas is Tremendous... Dark colors of the subtlest quality, Horror, Agony all that inside the Classical Meter without the slightest exaggeration... the Drama here is not Veristic, it is Classical and Held back thus even more introvert and strong. The way Callas phrases in this second part of the aria is something between Theatre and Music, the very definition of Canto Parlato... She does not sing the high C at the end but for me this is the most dramatic version of this magnificent Spontini aria.
Then from dark Classicism to young Verdi and to a role that was "created" for Callas. Lady Macbeth... the moment she begins the Letter Scene I feel shivers down my spine... Even thinking about it makes me tremble... her vocal open-voweled-Entrance after the letter: "Ambizioso..." is totally dominating upon the Scene and the role... a bit of slight difficulty in the following high C but still in "Vienni t'afretta" you realize how totally hers Lady was...
After all that darkness, the unbelievable transformation to a young girl ... Rosina with her beautiful coloratura and her poignant funny way... The unsurpassed Tragedienne turned into a very good Gomedienne... The word " ma " said with that very personal way and the Rossinian variations of the aria bravura that Callas never sang the same way twice...
Then one of Callas' most unsurpassed Arias... Elisabetta's "Tu che le vanita"... one aria that could have been considered her late -after 1958- signature aria... Callas uses all of her High Art to transform one of Verdi's less successful arias into a piece of the Highest Art... Phrases like "del pensieri vanni..." or "eterno giuro d'amor....un giorno sol duro" are said with a way no other could exist... Perhaps what is more fascinating than anything is the way Callas asks for Death: "Il cor ha un sol desir la pace nell avel" In the phrase "la pace nell avel" Callas uses her low chest voice, darkened to the point of suffocating and displays a Dramatic Level of a Vocal High Culture making you think you hear a voice from the Tomb...
Finally the Mad Scene from Il Pirata... Callas as a Bellinian Heroine... what more could anyone ask... The nostalgia in Col sorisso d'inoccenza is heartbreaking, and her high notes there so beautiful and steady... Then the bravura part where Callas transforms fioritura and variations into the most expressive Declamation of Artistic Madness... Hear her sing "Morooo...d'afanno, d'agnosia..." with Pure Horror, Agony and the most intense vocal color of Pain ever... Here you can hear a Tortured Soul at the very center of Purgatory...
And watching this woman, every gesture is full of POETRY, her every movement is a piece of High Art... Look at her in the Imogene scena, which is sung tremendously beautifully... When she sings "qual suon feralle" she stands still in absolute horror. Every inch of her body singing the great music... This is a kind of High Art we will never see again...
For moments like this one Callas' was called not merely a singer but a true Goddess!
Rating:
Summary: HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE
Review: Maria Callas a mezzo soprano? where did you hear that from? Madonna? or some other "credible critic"? A mezzo soprano with a high F in her throat ? a mezzo soprano with a low G in her throat? (both sung in her live Rossini Aarmida in 1952 in Firenze) well my dear poor ignorant fella, a low G to high F is a 3 octave range, and that is the range of the old type of soprani sfogati like Pasta and Malibran... Sutherland went Opera back 200 years by singing everything so boringly you never actually cared less whether the Heroine was dying or playing in her garden... Yes in this 1959 concert she omitts Julia's last high C and she has a problem - not exactly crack- with the high C in Lady Macbeth piece because the vocal problems were just starting to show but:
This is 1959... Callas has achieved a level of vocal culture, of Canto Parlato, that no-one else in the 20th century ever managed to approach. When she opens her mouth, she is definitive...
In "Tu che invoco con orrore" Julia, the small Norma as she was called, declares her fear and regret towards the Goddess Vesta/Hestias to whom she is a priestess. The classical meter and style of singing with no exaggerations at all is obvious at the first part of the aria... Then Julia realizes that Vesta is refusing her plea "Vesta ricusi i voti miei" and an agonizing vocal and orchestral allegro begins which for 3 minutes creates an unbelievable psychological allegro in our hearts. The High Art in this second part in the Voice of Callas is Tremendous... Dark colors of the subtlest quality, Horror, Agony all that inside the Classical Meter without the slightest exaggeration... the Drama here is not Veristic, it is Classical and Held back thus even more introvert and strong. The way Callas phrases in this second part of the aria is something between Theatre and Music, the very definition of Canto Parlato... She does not sing the high C at the end but for me this is the most dramatic version of this magnificent Spontini aria.
Then from dark Classicism to young Verdi and to a role that was "created" for Callas. Lady Macbeth... the moment she begins the Letter Scene I feel shivers down my spine... Even thinking about it makes me tremble... her vocal open-voweled-Entrance after the letter: "Ambizioso..." is totally dominating upon the Scene and the role... a bit of slight difficulty in the following high C but still in "Vienni t'afretta" you realize how totally hers Lady was...
After all that darkness, the unbelievable transformation to a young girl ... Rosina with her beautiful coloratura and her poignant funny way... The unsurpassed Tragedienne turned into a very good Gomedienne... The word " ma " said with that very personal way and the Rossinian variations of the aria bravura that Callas never sang the same way twice...
Then one of Callas' most unsurpassed Arias... Elisabetta's "Tu che le vanita"... one aria that could have been considered her late -after 1958- signature aria... Callas uses all of her High Art to transform one of Verdi's less successful arias into a piece of the Highest Art... Phrases like "del pensieri vanni..." or "eterno giuro d'amor....un giorno sol duro" are said with a way no other could exist... Perhaps what is more fascinating than anything is the way Callas asks for Death: "Il cor ha un sol desir la pace nell avel" In the phrase "la pace nell avel" Callas uses her low chest voice, darkened to the point of suffocating and displays a Dramatic Level of a Vocal High Culture making you think you hear a voice from the Tomb...
Finally the Mad Scene from Il Pirata... Callas as a Bellinian Heroine... what more could anyone ask... The nostalgia in Col sorisso d'inoccenza is heartbreaking, and her high notes there so beautiful and steady... Then the bravura part where Callas transforms fioritura and variations into the most expressive Declamation of Artistic Madness... Hear her sing "Morooo...d'afanno, d'agnosia..." with Pure Horror, Agony and the most intense vocal color of Pain ever... Here you can hear a Tortured Soul at the very center of Purgatory...
And watching this woman, every gesture is full of POETRY, her every movement is a piece of High Art... Look at her in the Imogene scena, which is sung tremendously beautifully... When she sings "qual suon feralle" she stands still in absolute horror. Every inch of her body singing the great music... This is a kind of High Art we will never see again...
For moments like this one Callas' was called not merely a singer but a true Goddess!
Rating:
Summary: An auditory and visual treasure. Superb!
Review: Maria Callas was a phenomenon. She evoked the strongest passions, pro and con, during her too brief peak period. Unfortunately she did her best work in the 1950's and 1960's when films and videos of opera were rare. That makes this DVD so important. Here we see her in two recitals. Sadly she was never filmed in a complete opera (to the best of my knowledge). Like another one of the reviewers, I have watched these performances on laser disc for years and was especially pleased to see them come out on DVD. The quality of the picture reflects the state of the art of the time. But you will not buy this DVD for picture quality. You will get it as a visual and auditory record of the most interesting singer of the past 50 years. There are many glorious moments on this DVD. Perhaps my favorite is Una voce poco fa from The Barber of Seville. Her recording of the complete opera on EMI is still one of the best versions of this opera, but her aria in this recital is the best of her several recordings. And what presence she had. As a lover of opera it is a disappointment that I never got to see Callas perform live. This superb DVD will have to be my consolation.
Rating:
Summary: A Metamorphosis on DVD
Review: Not being the consummate "opera queen," I'll spare you my thoughts on the technical aspects of Callas' voice. My primary exposure to opera is on record, and in that venue nobody in my opinion has come close to her. Listening to Callas is like being there, because she knew better than anyone how to "act" with her voice. In that sense, she's like a cheap date for the legions who can't afford real opera. To use a line from an old hippie song, a recording of Callas is like "a ticket to ride." What I find most remarkable about this double bill DVD is the striking metamorphosis in Callas when she shows up for the second concert in 1962. Bear in mind when you watch it that she had by now divorced her fatherly husband-mentor and become lovers with the Greek shipping tycoon, Aristotle Onassis. To say that she is a different woman would be an understatement. Suddenly the cold goddess of the woeful countenance has become a vivacious musical vixen. Sporting a stylish sixties haircut, and a sexy lowcut gown, she almost puts you in mind of Jacqueline Kennedy--but with more spirit. Woops! Did I inadvertantly mention her nemesis, who hijacked her boyfriend, thus ending one of the century's great romances, and sending La Callas' emotional life and career into a tailspin? Sorry. But for me, this may be the most compelling aspect of this remarkable video document. Watch it, and you will not only see a great artist in all her glory, you will witness history.
Rating:
Summary: The legend Maria Callas in concert!
Review: There are quite a few documents of Maria in a live performance, whether it's a concert or an act from an opera like her gala performance in Paris in 1958, her act two Tosca at the Met with Dimitri Mitropoulos in 1956, her 1962 London appearance in a gala performance along with other artists with three arias, her 1964 act two Tosca, but this is my favorite live document because of its difficult and beautiful arias. Maria on that tour had caught a cold, to begin with, and this is why she is uncertain in some high notes, like the high C in Lady Macbeth's aria and as for that stop saying negative things about her voice. She was ill and she did what a human person could do and even more she sang great with acting skills that every actor would be jealous of. Her voice is steady and has the best and most accurate breathing in the "Tu che le vanita" aria that makes her performance unsurpassed... her Rossini aria is cheering, playful and right on the interpretation of the character despite her quick glances at the director of the orchestra, Nicola Rescigno that make us feel the anguish that she had to sing even if she had difficulties with controlling her voice. Her "O s'io potessi" is yet the best, it's Bellini after all, her favorite composer...Her Lady Macbeth is like she is performing the whole role... just by looking at the way her eyes looked and her evil gestures... she transported every single aria in a complete opera by her acting skills. In a late interview she analyzed her theory about acting and singing a phrase giving it the right atmosphere... she had said that before she sang a phrase....she prepared the right feeling in her mind, on her face and then sang it ...I wish there were others that could do that too... I don't find difficulties in her singing...her vocal problems started early its true, but its her cold that makes people that hate her take advantage of it and say nasty things about her...I would give them feedback for their next nasty review by saying this but....in the next performance in Stuttgart in 19 of May in 1959, this one is in 15 of May, she was not Maria in a live concert...she was Maria in her Dallas rehearsals just because her cold had exhausted totally her throat. I refer to that concert just to be accurate on the matter of the cold that was obvious.
To conclude I am not saying anything bad for the reviewer from Sweden... it's his nasty opinion that others will judge... I am just feeling sorry about him and I try to help him get over the bad circumstances that he had in life that come out by his nasty reviews by recommending him that his next review should be about the Stuttagrt concert...if doctors cannot help, I wish I have helped just a little by giving him and others of him equals, the right performances of Maria to attack...Good Luck!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Whar's all that screeching about?
Review: This DVD of the Callas 1959 Hamburg concert must be bought if you know people -- specially your children -- who never saw Callas on stage, and all they know is that La Divina sang a touching aria featured in the sound track of the film Philadelphia. As is known, even the most adoring critics of Callas write that she was "divine", despite the terrible aspects of her singing, specially her disastrous high notes! The fact is that Callas was a rather good mezzo-soprano who insisted in offering her own version of coloratura operas, such as Lucia de Lammermoor, until Dame Joan Sutherland came along and set the record straight!
One of the most repeated fables is that the Callas live recordings are wonderful, because it was the adrenalin of facing a public that made her so dramatic and exciting to hear, whereas in studio recordings, with no public, the excitement was not present and only the defects in her voice were noticeable!
Well, watch and listen to this live concert. After her voice cracks in the top High C of the very second piece (recitative of Lady Machbeth's opening scene), you will discover that the adrenalin is there, alright! But not on her, on you! You become so nervous that she will not make the next notes, that when she does get to the end of the arias, after quite a few screeches, you jump up and applaud, just by being relieved of the tension! Something like seeing your team, after a poor day in the field, finally score the tying point at the very last second of the game.
By all means, buy this DVD to show to your juniors and then give them Renata Tebaldi CDs and Mirella Freni DVDs if they want an operatic education.
Rating:
Summary: MAGNIFICENT!
Review: This live performance video gives us the opportunity to see and hear Maria Callas in concert. She is magnificent! Every gesture, every phrase, every nuance of her finely honed performance is here for us to enjoy. I only wish that someone had possessed the foresight to videotape one of her legendary opera performances in it's entirety. That would have been something!
Rating:
Summary: The best Callas in DVD
Review: This video proves only one thing, she is the best suprano in this universe. She does not only have the vocal quality but the great acting ability as well. To think this is just a recital but when Callas sings, she transforms to the character she is portraying. I could just imagine if we had a glimpse of her vocal quality when she started her career. La Divina Maria Callas the greatest of them all
Rating:
Summary: A model for performers
Review: Watching and listening to Maria Callas through DVD technology was a very intense artistic experience for me, and a fulfillment of my expectations. Maria Callas gets completely into a character after a few notes by the orchestra. Sometimes she sings one word in a certain mood and then the second word in a very different mood. In this way the character becomes richer and more human. She shows us most of the conflicts and contradictions that pass through our mind, especially in heroic situations. There is complete unity and synchronization between all the components: music, words, acting movement, and the situation of the characters. I do not know any other opera singer who can do all this as successfully as Maria does. She has the talent and sensitivity but especially the right attitude to her work. Maria is a wonderful actor, and on DVD the experience is more complete, enabling us to choose the subtitles, or to listen to a particular phrase once more for a full comprehension. You can not do this at a live concert, and it is much more difficult in video. Although it is not a complete opera, with DVD that includes music, visual means and words, Maria succeeds in taking us to the right mood and concentration in order to communicate the composer's ideas. You can also see on Maria's face how she enters into the right mood at the beginning of a piece. It is also interesting to watch her after the end of a piece. To me, it looks as if it is not the same person. With such a DVD Maria with her noble personality, can live forever.
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