Cecilia Gobbi talks about Maria Callas 

Wonderful to hear from Ms. Gobbi and her father was a tremendous gift to the opera world...🌹

I would give anything to have had the priviledge of seeing Maria perform, just magical. Viva La Divina!

It is nice to hear about Maria Callas from someone who actually knew her. Callas was a great artist. Maria Callas, in her youth, weighed about 200 lbs. She used Audrey Hepburn as an inspirational figure and achieved a transformational weight loss. Maria became sleek, exotic, and very sexy. Callas was very bright and assertive. She did not suffer fools ( or laziness in coworkers) lightly. The press misunderstood her. She was not a phony. Maria spoke her mind. She was fiery. She did have a temper. In my opinion, she was similar to Bette Davis in temperament. Maria did not fight or argue for the sake of being difficult when she was working. Like Davis, she wanted her performance and the production to be...the best. She demanded perfection from herself and everyone else. If you see the Mike Wallace interviews (on RU-vid); the tone of the interview was very hostile. Maria answered all of Mike Wallace's rude, verbal, darting questions to perfection. Wallace was trying to provoke her, on camera, to anger but she did not take the bait. She remained calm, gracious, and open with Mike Wallace. I am a fan of Mike Wallace. However, his Callas interview was a disgrace. He went on the attack to try and garner headlines and high ratings. He did not succeed. In general, people were mesmerized by Callas but they did not appreciate or understand her. Maria Callas was an assertive woman who was twenty years ahead of her time. The press dismissed her creativity, her artistry, and her towering achievements. It wasn't until the 1970's that women started coming into their own. In her day, Maria was labeled as a spoiled bitch and dismissed. Successful men, of her time, were lauded and their misbehavior ( acting like assholes, cheating on wives or lovers, or being drunk) was always ignored in the press and swept under the rug. A true double standard.

Wonderful. Love hearing this from the daughter of a legend and her perspective on her father and wonderful Maria

“Maria and Tito living the roles, not interpreting” - sums up the Art and genius talent found in those two singers. That is why their recordings capture that spark of genius, and demand an attentive ear; whereas others’ recordings are mere beautiful sounds. Beautiful sounds without a soul, flesh and blood. Immortali!

Thank you so much for sharing your memories. Your father had a wonderful gift and together with Maria Callas they made some wonderful music together. Once again I thank you for sharing your memories with us.

I saw Gobbi in Tosca in Chicago my freshman year of college- the voice was no longer really there, but his ACTING! Scared me speechless as Scarpia... which is what this character SHOULD do. "They were not acting- they were living the roles." How lucky this lady was, to have known Callas, and had Tito as her papá.

This is such a sweet interview. Ms. Gobbi is an eloquent speaker and I appreciate her saying that her talented father and Madame Callas were not simply acting or interpreting their roles, but were living their respective roles. They were two artists fully committed to their craft. For better or worse, anyone who sang with the divine Maria Callas could often be overshadowed by her artistic greatness and larger-than-life persona, so it's no small achievement that Tito Gobbi also left such a strong impression on the opera world.

This is a gem of a clip. Great to get her stories and insights. I could listen to her for ages. Thanks so much for posting.

How beautifully said!

Люблю Гобби.

Lucky child but you didn't realize that you saw the greatest Soprano of all time. Unequaled as I write in 2020. RIP Diva Ultimativa. We bought seats but only used the edge!

0:20, 1 incontro a Firenze 1951 0:50, Teaviata a S. Paolo, 1951 2:04, Tosca London 1964 2:40, Callas le disse "canteremo per te" 3:50, cambiamenti nei movimenti scenici

beautiful recollection

Thank you

legend is alive!

grazie per farci sapere un po di piu di questi geni, grandi , enormi artisti! un forte abbraccio!!!!, Ruben

great interview

Наконец хоть Чечилию увидела.

My name is Frank. I have done a little research and discovered what I thought was true. She talks about the first time her Father sang with Callas. It was also the first time Callas sang with Giuseppe Di Stefano as well.

cool !!!

calla-Gobbi coppia da Olimpo.

people often discuss Tosca -- including here -- in terms of 2 characters only....as if Cavaradossi wasn't just as important. admittedly tenors of the first rank vocally and dramatically are virtually unknown.

Υποθέτω πως ένοιωσε πόσο τυχερη ήταν που άκουσε την Κάλλας.

Is she a hologram? Lol