Maria Callas: La Divina - The Divine
Maria Callas at a concert at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 11 July 1959. Photo by Joop van Bilsen/Anefo. Wikimedia Commons
When you hear the word “diva,” the first thing that comes to your mind is probably the image of a temperamental star performer who is driving everyone crazy with unreasonable demands right before a performance. If you are an opera lover, chances are you will think of Maria Callas (2 December 1923 – 16 September 1977), one of the greatest twentieth century sopranos and the personification of the word “diva” in all its different meaning. The Latin word “diva” means “goddess,” but in everyday language, the word is used to describe an impossibly self-centred, sensitive person insisting on eccentric demands. One hundred years after the birth of the “divine Callas,” the legends surrounding her temper tantrums, her love affair with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, and her jewels live on. But who was the artist electrifying audiences around the world? Who was the woman behind the legend?
Primadonna Assoluta
Maria Callas didn’t have a long career, but the rare combination of her expressive voice and her dramatic gift ensured her status as primadonna assoluta of twentieth century opera. Callas’s voice had a range of three octaves. Thanks to her unique gifts, forgotten 19th century operas by composers like Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti re-entered the standard opera repertoire. The diva attracted audiences to opera houses around the world like no one else, explaining why so many opera managers put up with her antics: her name guaranteed a packed house. The secret to her success was her voice’s rare quality to express the smallest nuances of human emotions. Time Magazine wrote in 1956 that few rated her voice as the sweetest or most beautiful. But its ability to express emotions was extraordinary: “Callas’ singing always seems to have a surprise in reserve. With the apparently infinite variety of her vocal inflections, she can keep the listener’s ear constantly on edge for a twist of an emotional phrase, constantly delighted by a new and unexpected flick of vocal excitement.” Her iron-clad discipline had equipped her with a superb technique and a full command over the entire vocal range, enabling her to sing any part ever written for the female voice. Combine that with a stage presence and acting skills worthy of the best dramatic actress, and you get an idea why she became such a star. But the life of the woman behind the diva was not an easy one.
Abusive Mother
Maria Callas was born to Greek immigrant parents in New York. Her parents’ marriage was not a happy one. Her father often cheated on her mother and the couple constantly fought in front of their children. The couple’s son died when he was only three. When Callas’s mother got pregnant again, she was sure it would be another son. The baby, Maria, turned out to be a girl. Her mother refused to look at her for four days and would continue to favour her eldest daughter. As a child, Maria had to wear thick glasses and ate compulsively, making her gain more and more weight: “My sister was slim and beautiful and friendly, and my mother always preferred her. I was the ugly duckling, fat and clumsy and unpopular. It is a cruel thing to make a child feel ugly and unwanted.”
The Gift
Her life changed when she discovered her voice when she was around eight: “When I sang, I was really loved.” But once her mother discovered Maria’s amazing voice, she made her sing and perform to earn money: “I’ll never forgive her for taking my childhood away. During all the years I should have been playing and growing up, I was singing or making money.” Abused by her mother, Callas learned how to fight ferociously for her place, something which her rivals had to learn to contend with. Life taught Callas how to hate and a thirst for revenge.
The Way to the Top
Callas spent the years of World War II in Athens with her mother and sister. She was studying music like possessed, learning a full libretto every week. First successes followed, but not the breakthrough she had worked for. But love came to her rescue: Giovanni Meneghini, an Italian millionaire and building-materials tycoon more than twice her age, fell in love with her, wooed her, and won her over. Meneghini became her agent, and before long, she conquered the knowledgeable audiences of La Scala, Milan’s iconic opera house. La Scala hired her – and her weight began to plummet. In Milan, she turned into the glamorous diva captivating the world in the 1950s and 1960s. Her wardrobe and jewels delighted the press: for every new role, her husband would present her extravagant jewels. Callas’s jewels became part of her mystique both on and off stage.
Maria Callas as Giulia in the Opera "La Vestale," by Gaspare Spontini, 1954. 15 April 1954. Photo: Teatro alla Scala. Wikimedia Commons
A Lonely End
But even the great love between the diva and her husband did not last. In 1959, Callas left her husband for the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, another favourite of the 1950s/60s society press, and the star withdrew from her career. Nine years later, Onassis left Callas for Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of assassinated U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Callas spent her last, lonely years in Paris. She passed away from a heart attack at age 53 in 1977.
Centennial Celebrations
Naturally, the centennial of Callas’s birth has revived interest in the ultimate diva. Her iconic image is a central marketing feature for the upcoming exhibition “Diva” at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. Opening on 24 June 2023, the exhibition will explore the cultural phenomenon of the “diva,” iconic performers. There will also be high-profile concerts leading up to her centennial of her birth on 2 December 2023. And: “Maria,” a new movie by Pablo Larraín (“Jackie, 2016; “Spencer,” 2021) about Callas is in pre-production, with Angelina Jolie staring in the title role.