Maria Callas would have been 90 today, yet she died 36 years ago.
Her years at La Scala in Milan, where she also recorded most of her ‘studio’ discs, gave the world some of her most memorable performances. Here are some unseen, or rarely seen photos from the La Scala archives.
Photos from the private collection of Carlo Orlandi
Having seen and heard Callas at Chicago Lyric and two Alliance Francaise Concerts in the fifties, she remains the great opera-going experience of my life. Her first Cetra recording, played in a soundproof booth earlier, I found myself blown away with this voice, as if hearing these arias for the first time. Years later, hearing that voice unexpectedly is to be totally drawn in by her unique, artistry – why her recordings are still here to remind us.
RGL
NYC