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.
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!
Thanks SO for sharing this personal experience from one of her performances!! I have always thought that Callas' Anna was so stupendous ..and made me so sorry that she never did Maria Stuarda, Roberto Devereux, .. or Lucrezia Borgia for that matter. I always thought that she was more gifted for Donizetti than for Puccini....just my own thoughts ....but strongly felt!! BRAVISSIMA MARIA PER SEMPRE!!!!
Yes, infrantasi is right - I read about this also in the biografy of J. Kesting. With her 'Guidici ad Anna' (5:14) she made the claque shut up - ...magical and mesmerizing as usual!
Something "similar" happened with Caballé singing Bolena in the same theatre 25 years after. Montserrat was sick but she sang a wonderful high D at the end like La Divina. The public was euphoric but "Loggione" members booed her because she was really exhausted, finally she gave a great rendition of "Piangete Voi". Otherwise, Anna Bolena was a victory for Maria.
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!
So right! It was sad to hear Sutherland still singing these bel canto roles late in her career when the voice was a pale shadow of it's former self. Sutherland's glory days were brief c. late 50's to early 70's but the technical qualities were remarkable even if she was never the dramatic interpreter that Callas was.
@@Papurris Thats the name of a wonderful artist.. The name of the one in this post is Maria Callas. The Greatest Operatic performer of all times,. Ask Joan.
Al Capone was a great admirer of Muzio and once gave a champagne reception for her during prohibition after a performance at theRavinia Festival where the Chicago Opera performed in the summer.
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.
El punto fuerte de Callas es cantar todas las notas bien, en una forma correcta: bajas que eran naturales para ella, y altas el producto de un trabajo y esfuerzo duro (por eso tienen esa matiz metálica). Se ve mucho esa diferencia con otras cantantes cuando el ritmo es elevado como en la final de Bolena. Era una Genio: 10% de talante y 90 % del duro trabajo!
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.
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! 😀👏🏾
She is a hard act to follow in almost any opera she sang. I try not to compare any interpretations with her Norma, Tosca and Traviata for instance, otherwise I will never listen or watch them now!
@@brunoantony3218 Bruno, I completely disagree. Gavazzeni takes it fast here--because this is one of the climaxes of the opera--but takes it slow elsewhere, where things are calmer. You're right about Serafin--always too slow, as John Ardoin points out several times in "The Callas Legacy." But I think you're wrong about Votto: listen to the tempo of the Act 1 finale of the 1955 La Scala "Norma." Was there ever anything so exciting and hair-raising? Compare that to the boring performances with Serafin (two studio recordings and the 1955 RAI "Norma"). The only recording we have that comes close was Callas' 1953 Trieste "Norma," also conducted by Votto. For me at least, the excitement--and yes, the beauty--of bel canto operas is lost when the tempo drags. Compare the Met's 2011 "Anna Bolena" conducted so lethargically by Armiliato to the far superior performance in Vienna in the same year with the same Bolena (Netrebko). The latter was conducted by Pidò and that made all the difference. I know this sounds like heresy, but Donizetti and Bellini deserved better than Serafin could give. And I know this goes against Callas' own words to the contrary--but not her performances which under Votto and Gavazzeni were from another realm.
@@jamesnickoloff6692 Completely agree. I am one of those who defend cabalettas at the correct tempo. If the tempo can be increased, (despite modifying the composer's idea), it is much better ... As you say, The 1955 Callas' "vanne sì, mi lascia indegno" is super exciting, and in the end the cymbals and the percussion makes you feel Norma's anger and the air of war
@@jamesnickoloff6692 I invite you to search for "figlio del cielo" by Caballé and Carreras in 1977. Although Caballé is not the most suitable for that role, the tempo in "non guardami così" makes feel Turandot's anguish and despair upon being defeated. Nothing compared to those slow and boring versions, where it seems that Turandot is resigned to giving herself to Calaf
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
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 :) RU-vid user drcrd gave me the complete performance.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
The obsession with Puccini is something hard for me to understand. His music is great of, but the allure of his plots and poetry never really attracted me. And is not very good for the voice
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.
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?
That's an interesting question. I think it may have something to do with trying to show her overbearing mother that she was capable of really doing something. Her mother had badly wanted a boy when Maria was born and so she was disappointed. It may also be that Maria had really bad eyesight but excelled at singing. At one point her teacher gave her free lessons because she was so exceptional and a perfect student. So, I think she had disadvantages to overcome and threw herself completely into her art. There is a lovely story about her being practically blind on stage. In a performance of Tosca she killed Scarpia, set out the candles but, when it came to leaving the stage she couldn't see which way to go, so Scarpia, although dead, had to point the way off for her. Another performance of Tosca she didn't notice that she was too close to a candle and set light to her wig. Tito Gobbi smothered the flame by putting his hands on her head. She gave him a puzzled look, so he showed her his burnt hands. She said, Grazi Tito. I wish we had singers like her now.
@@mscott3918 haha this is funny, she had myopia? I haven't yet read any biography of callas but besides the natural talent and Great technique I always get so melancholic feelings when I hear her sing. Its not only her family background, it's also the political turmoil of her country I can sense. And being myself Greek, I feel doubly sad that my country has not done more for her.
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!
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! ;-)))
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.
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'.
