When I listen to Callas I have to remind myself that she was a human being.

Definitely Callas was from another Galaxy. She just came here to pass her message and left.

This scene embodies the full art of bel canto when sung by Callas and no other. She spits out the words with anger and defiance to convey the emotion of the score while maintaining a firm but sinuous legato line. The notes are propelled, not emitted, right on the tip of Callas’ breath. The passages of coloratura and slow rising scales are not used as pretty decoration - they express a titanic anger, and the final D knocks the wind out of me every time. It is both piercing and explosive. Furthermore, Callas takes the entire scene at a pace that would choke others. I listened to Sutherland attempt the judgement scene and the comments are way too forgiving. She is downright awful. Her failure to express anger wrecks the scene - too many years of her husband conducting her as though she were singing Brahms’ lullaby. The scales and coloratura are used as simple light decoration. This woman is being condemned, not being offered a walk through a bed of daisies. Sutherland is also covered by the orchestra - Bolena is a very heavy piece of singing, one of the heaviest in the bel canto repertoire, and a soprano voice needs to ride the orchestra. At this late stage of her career, and I honestly believe even in her prime, Sutherland deploys such pastel tones in a way that is simply not suited for this role. Netrebko makes a valiant effort, but she adopts a slow pace robbing the scene of much of its drama. I am tired of hearing her and so many sopranos adopting a veiled covered sad tone to convey anger. This approach allows them to conserve and protect their voice and not expose its limitations at high volume. Ya gotta spit the words out like you are the queen of the world about to meet her doom. Callas is so authentically of the moment in throwing all caution to the wind. You don’t need to understand Italian to know she’s mad as hell.

I can hardly believe my ears .... WOW, La Divina!

Superba... Nella stretta finale ci mette del suo anche la Simionato... Emozionante...

È lei la più grande della storia, perché sapeva cantare benissimo le opere anche dove le altre erano bravissime; ma le altre non erano in grado di cantare opere per le quali la Callas è immortale!

un miracolo della natura questa donna

Oh my word what a voice!!!!! Perfection. Perfect technique etc. This is so brilliant it drives one to tears. RIP dearest Maria. La Divina per sempre.

That Callas creature was something else altogether. She WAS opera!

Una meraviglia di donna... Ansi ...un Angelo!!!

MARIA CALLAS: UNICA GRANDE DIVINA!!!! IRRIPETIBILE! MAGNIFICA!!!! TI AMO!!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

Brilhante interpretação! Que excitação o final desse I ato dá. Impossível não se empolgar ouvindo essa cena. Callas foi magistral! Condutor e a orquestra brilhantes! Bravos! Bravíssimos! 😀👏🏾

En este personaje la Callas captó desde el inicio la esencia, su voz madura y su esplendida técnica hace que cada palabra sea construida para que con la música que ella era, nosotros los mortales pudiéramos disfrutar. Esta producción es perfecta y este concertante es uno de los momentos mas electrizante grabados hasta ahora, la parte final nos deja sin aliento. En el más alto nivel del altar de las interpretaciones es esta Anna. Eterna Callas, la Divina.

The Best Anna Bolena Ever...!!!

Magnificent, simply magnificent.

Imponente!!! La Divina!!!!

Qué artista!!!! Cómo conmueve su interpretación!!!! Bravisima Maria!!!!!

DIVIIIIIIIIIIINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

This is just so exciting... the building momentum ...that final note...

In this brilliant night, some of the loggionisti were against her, and being the spirited Greek woman she was, she used the moment to heighten Anna's drama. She fled to the front of the stage, hurling this magnificent cabaletta, beginning with "Giudici, ad Anna? Giudici?!" Her huge eyes were opened as wide as the lion's mouth in Rome, making her Milanese public her loyal subjects along the way!

A gift so unique and wonderful and unrepeatable that Callas worked so hard to leave us this unrepeatable wonder!

Incredibil: voci, interpretare, DIRIJOR!!!! Thank you!

Érase una vez, había una artista divina que cantaba la ópera italiana y su nombre era María Callas. Después de su época, sólo había pretendientes al trono. Muy buenas noches desde Santa Cruz donde estoy pasando un buen rato en el cielo con esta dama legendaria. No cabe duda de que ella era un ángel sobre la tierra antes de ser un ángel en el cielo. Quiero que todos sueñen con los ángeles esta noche.

Belle sélection de photos

Quelle direction d'orchestre incroyable !!

Άψογη ηχογράφηση, η Κάλλας ΣΥΓΚΛΟΝΙΣΤΙΚΉ ξεπέρασε τις προσδοκιες του συνθέτη με την ψυχη και την τεχνική της

Hermoso, que profundidad, que desolación en esa voz y que extrema belleza!!

È sublime

She was the pinnacle of a dying world....the last godess , if there was any godess before her....a presence never equalled by anyone....

Very exciting- the conducting is great!

Bravura sovrumana! L' appellativo di " Divina " non dà la possibilità di alcun confronto con altre!

The tempo towards the end is a killer! Wow!

i'm speechless. i love you maria

Mi María bella💗, pájaro espino🌷 inmensa! Divina!!

Splendido！

amazing!!!!!!!!

Обалдено.... Подарок сердцу Сердцем она поет....

Définitivement hors norme. Une autre planète, un monde de splendeurs sonores. Callas. Qui après elle?

Sublime......

Non mi stanco mai di ringraziarti. Mi sto deliziando. Spero sentire altri ancora.

You have the most amazing Callas collection. Do you do the stereophonizing yourself? You are a wiz and we all thank you for these marvellous uploads.

Perfection..beautiful!!

GENIAL, GENIAL, GENIAL, EXCELENTE!!!!!! GRACIAS TURNIPOVERLORD !!!!

Génial !!!

FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!!!!

This is sublime, she imbues the character with life, her brilliant musicality and use of lyrics is manificent. I saw a production of Bolena at ROH in the eighties with another legendary soprano, but this is on another level, edge of your seat, magical.

Da brivido!!!

Bravo dear John-The stereo sound is gorgeous !!!Thank´s so much for the video.

Maria ha riportato in luce Anna Bolsena che era caduta nel dimenticatoio come altre opere. Dato il successo altre hanno ripreso quest’opera, ma nessuna può essere alla sua altezza.

I WISH i had the technical skills required but alas, no, I am not responsible. I'm not sure who did it to be honest :) KZfaq user drcrd gave me the complete performance.

Well, awesome. She should've gotten to do the whole thing in studio without cuts, it'd've been a dream And also Mackerras, Gavazzeni here makes very regretrable decisions

She was really too much for this miserable world

Love this!

Oh baby

whoa...I hated all the mono and now you created this? THANK YOU.

Unparalleled. So into the role. She was Anna Bolena.

OMG

starting at around 5:20, sometimes I just have to play that over and over. It is such a huge turn on! The way Donizetti takes the base line in the orchestra down, boom boom, boom, and then Callas goes to the high Eflat? or E ? at the end is just sooooooo incredibly exciting! She never disappoints, there is only one objective in her in soul the drama and she delivers!

This, to me, IS an Improvement over the available cd versions. More even dynamics throughout. Greater clarity in the ensemble singing and less interference in Callas's upper register. Good job!

CALLAS ETERNA

2:22 She looked astonishingly beautiful with her natural long, straight hair! Such a shame the beauty standards for the era were to have curly short hair and she started using those hideous wigs that made her look a trifle elderly.

The picture at 3.18 is so beautiful. I love your collection @callasfan

Same well-known recording already re-mastered and published. Superb and rarely seen photos though. Lovely candid stage shots of Callas.

ÙNICA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stupid EMI for not committing a commercial studio-recorded LaScala Bolena, Alceste, Ifigenia and Poliuto instead of Boheme, Pagliacci, and Manon Lescaut, roles she never sang on stage.

Gianandrea Gavazzeni hand is here.

🥺🥺🥺😭😭She was one of the kind❤

Strepitosa❤

Not for nothing, but Simionato too is singing like she fu$@ing means it. She's taking everyone to Sunday School every bit as much as Callas. The conducting is a hit, too.

Immensa

wow - how did you do this, this is amazing.

2.38 beautiful. nice to see callas without her regular fifties or sixties hairdo

The real star of this is Maestro Donizetti.

Nessuna come lei.

The supreme voce...CALLAS!THE ONLY ONE....

I'm a harsh critic of Maria, but I must say here she is perfect and I find her singing here astoundingly beautiful, controlled full of tone and beautifully nuanced and the ending is astoundingly beautiful! Every tone is steady and perfect!

STEREO!!!

What amazes me with callas is how a poor Greek girl decides to devote herself to an art essentially non Greek. What motivated her to interpret all those roles of other nations with such devotion?

Verbum caro factum est

where did you find this recording? It is the best one I've heard from this performance!

It means exactly what you say - fantastic - i just think i use the word fantastic too much, so i decided on immaculate :)

That photo with her hair down & relaxed. She looks very different. Beautiful still. But didn't

Is stereo original from 1957 or it was remastered??

STEREO!

the new generations imbued with new technologies, via cell phones, will they be able to know what they have lost by ignoring Bel-Canto? I hope that things will come back and that they will discover the beauty of the Diva's voice.

Qui chante avec elle svp?

Who is the conductor here?

Pazzesca..Basta paragoni....non può nascerne un' altra.

Que mas se puede decir,,

Una non e' "Divina" a caso.

5:17 5:36

Escena terrible que muestra cómo los reyes se sentían dueños de las vidas ajenas, sólo porque la perversidad había creado los mitos de ser enviados de dios para gobernar a los humanos. Ana Bolena, una desdichada, sin fuerza para poner en su lugar a tanto abuso de reyes y religiosos. De la Callas, qué más podríamos decir de lo buena que era en su arte difícil.

I Wonder about those „Dislike“... This is what is to be called: Musical stupidity! Hahahah This is a Biblic Performance. You just Need to read the partitura to understand that! ;-)))

Sorry to bring this up. But, after listen to this. HOW THE HELL DARE Netrebko to take this role, if she just think that she have a similar first name so she would fit?

Her art was however compromised by the cuts traditional during her career. Incredible tension towards the ending and then the cut, deflating everything. They still do it to the great concertato in 'Lucia'.

Why so fast the tempo?

Miserable cuts!!

Fake stereo ....; shame on you , the song is so marvellous and dont need your miserable help

Ruined by the unforgivable cuts.

Strepitosa.