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Maria Callas (Sony Pictures Classics) “Art is domination. It's making people think that for that precise moment in time there is only one way, one voice. Yours.” - Maria Callas

This week is all about Maria Callas.

It’s no secret that we are big Callas fans here at Opera Daily. We are going to keep it simple for today and have the focus be on Maria’s singing. Full force up and down and courageous are the things that come to mind when we think about Maria’s singing.

The Italian conductor Carlo Maria Giulini describes the appeal of Callas's voice:

“It is very difficult to speak of the voice of Callas. Her voice was a very special instrument. Something happens sometimes with string instruments—violin, viola, cello—where the first moment you listen to the sound of this instrument, the first feeling is a bit strange sometimes. But after just a few minutes, when you get used to it, when you become friends with this kind of sound, then the sound becomes a magical quality. This was Callas.”

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Today we’re listening to Callas sing “Ernani! Ernani, involami” Elvira’s aria from Act I of the Italian opera Ernani by Giuseppe Verdi.

Ernani premiered in 1844 at La Fenice Theater in Venice and is set in 16th century Spain. Elvira is being forced to marry her guardian Silva (her uncle 😳), but she is in love with Ernani. In this aria, as servants deliver Silva’s wedding presents to her, she wishes Silva would go away so she can think about Ernani.

“Ernani, Ernani, save me”

🎧 Listen here (6 minute listen):

YouTube / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Spotify

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“An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house.” - Maria Callas

How does Maria’s voice make you feel in one word? Leave a comment on the post.

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Thank you again for listening and for coming along on this journey so far,

Michele

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Opera Daily 🎶 — Maria Callas, Ernani