Maria Callas Sings The Mad Scene From Thomas' Hamlet

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Ophelia's mad scene is placed at the climax of Thomas' operatic version of the tragedy, which was first performed in Paris in 1868. The scene remained long after the opera itself had disappeared form the stage and is a favorite concert piece with sopranos. Ophelia greets the courtiers and begs to join in their games. She imagines she is married to Hamlet and then says sadly, "If he broke faith with me, I should go mad." In a waltz movement she distributes wild flowers to the others and sings a ballad. But in place of the bawdy words of "Tomorrow is St. Valentine's day," librettists Barbier and Carré supplied verses about the Willy, or Ondine, who entices faithless lovers to a watery grave. The melody is interrupted by outbursts of maniacal laughter and has a vocalized refrain.
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17 апр 2012

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Комментарии : 73

@luisrossetto5247 3 месяца назад

My God!!! The power, the expectancy and suspension Callas creates since the last high notes make me feel that when she was singing this, the whole universe stops. She was superhuman❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

@unpodimusica1 12 лет назад

GOOSEBUMPS ALAAARM!!! This is one classic which just cannot leave one cold - not even an opera-phobe. There may have been "prettier" voices than Callas's - but she is unbeatable for drama and expression. She IS Ophelia - just as she is Lucia, Violetta, Gilda, etc. Magnificent!

@richardwestwood8212 2 года назад

Singing her praises to the moon 🌝

@jimbuxton2187 Год назад

She makes Ophelia sound like Lady Macbeth!

@jjh2456 11 лет назад

This is just beautiful. Listening to her French is rubbing up against silk.

@solmaior4771 5 лет назад

GREAT Maria Callas! Love this aria, thanks for sharing. Greetings from Brazil,

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

Thank you very much, my friend! An excellent comment, right on the money!

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

Thank YOU, my friend!

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

One of the greatest! Thanks for comment.

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

Very perceptive comment! Thank you!

@MendelMarkel 12 лет назад

Callas did not merely sing roles. She would actually become the character. Then through her singing she would pull the listener in to the mind and heart of the character as well until not only had she become the character, but so had the listener. This is quite a fine example. Thanks for posting :)

@jirizika6266 6 лет назад

That is why she is so loved and adored. She changed operatic world and performing art for ever. Endless comparison which of famous soprano is better or whos trills are more accurate is absolutely rubbish. She reigns for ever because she permofmed role through her voice, not just sang. In contrast to other soprano /maybe better sounding for some one/ who just try to sing in the best way. Rather often boring....

@CurzonRoad 12 лет назад

No, not just another pretty voice, she is at times almost too much. While Callas may not appeal to everyone (ducking while writing this), she is beyond doubt worthy of her legendary status. Thank you, Edmund!

@EdmundStAustell 11 лет назад

Great comment! Thank you!

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

Great comment! Thanks.

@kennethdavison3935 3 года назад

I would liked to have seen her.

@Tsaraslondon 2 года назад

This is not what it says it is above. It's actually the 1958 studio recording with the Philharmonia under Rescigno. The one with Simonetto was a radio concert, includes the chorus and was sung in Italian rather than the original French.

@Greg7341 12 лет назад

Great singer!!

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

My pleasure! Vielen Dank für den Kommentar!

@jcarlosmoralescanas 6 лет назад

Hasta en sus peores actuaciones es unica, que suerte tienen los angeles que la tienen entre ellos

@anivardanyan 4 года назад

7:53 my favourite part :)))))

@CurzonRoad 11 лет назад

Ha-ha... thanks... CHEERS!

@francesca7564 12 лет назад

Ô Callas ... Merci de tout coeur Edmund ...

@kerbal29anen 10 лет назад

As for disappearing, the whole opera was staged at the Buxton Festival in the 1980s, directed by Malcolm Fraser. Tom Allen (now Sir Tom) sang the title role and Christine Barbaux was Ophelia. I was only in the chorus, but this was one of the first operas that introduced me to great singers and great singing. A couple of years later, I was working at Glyndebourne and Tom was singing Don Giovanni. We often spoke about Thomas' opera. I still have no idea why many critics continue to hold it in contempt.

@arieldowns3109 3 месяца назад

I've never heard this recording and wow is it stunning. Do you know when this was recorded?

@cantorandopera 12 лет назад

That was quite a wow. The little wobblies didn't bother me too much . . . she sounded very fragile here and her French sounded good to me.

@MrSkylark1 3 года назад

Her' musicianship is evident in the phrasing. If Callas had preserved her voice from the fortes, the voice would have lasted. This is an excellent example of her grasp of interpreting the text with a Chiaroscuro Vocal Approach. .

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

Gracias, mi amiga, se lo agradezco. ¿No me dijo Vd., por ocasión, que sabía español? O que, por lo menos, tenía un interés vivo en España, o tal vez la música española? O ¿es simplemente el caso que el cerebro se me está descomponiendo, poco a poco:-)

@Klinossophistis 8 лет назад

Ὑπέροχη.

@cinziavidali411 3 года назад

The mad scenes are all very suggestive. Here Ms Callas transforms herself into Ophelia

@MultiZahl 12 лет назад

Die Ophelie aus der Oper Hamlet von Ambroise Thoma hat La Divina oft in Konzerten gesungen.Leider hat sie die Partie nicht auf der Bühne gesungen.Sie ist einfach zauberhaft.Bravissima Maria -Thank´s so much for the posting-

@magicflute3 5 лет назад

some comments compare this version with Sutherland's- I agree that the latter has a perfect voice and tchinque and Callas here is not at her best- nevetthless, I prefer her Ophelia, because of the fragility , delirious tenderness she shows

@jondavwal13 3 месяца назад

She sounds fragile because her high notes are all wobbly. There is nothing fragile about this singing.

@magicflute3 3 месяца назад

It is impossible to communicate with people, like you, who are solely interested in "beautiful sound"- yes, her high notes are wobbly! and then? I was not speaking about the fragility of her voice, but the fragility of the character ( Ophelia's, not Maria's)

@olgaschmidt838 10 лет назад

Vidunderlig! Natalie Dessay er på højde med hende i denne scene, mener jeg, som ellers ikke er operafan og altså ikke har hørt andre optagelser indtil nu.

@Sharplesss01 4 года назад

Wonderful. Once again, Callas not only sings magnificently - but appears to become the character she’s portraying. Very few singers have this gift (Muzio was another). On a sheerly technical level, my benchmark remains the dazzling Melba recording from 1904 - though she treats it as a showpiece and doesn’t portray the real, fragile character which emerges in the Callas version

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

Yes, there are always some issues with Callas, but she is always Callas, and usually the greatness shines through, here and/or there:-) Thanks for the comment, always appreciated.

@albertwalsh3536 6 лет назад

Painful is what comes to mind!

@francesca7564 12 лет назад

Diantre Edmund !!! Ne vous mettez pas "martel en tête" mon ami ! L'Espagne est justement ce qui manque à ma culture, et comme tout ce que nous n'avons pas, c'est objet de désir ... :-) J'ai plus d'affinités avec l'Italien, curieusement, le "patois" que l'on parle au pied des Pyrénées, dans le pays de mes pères est plus proche du Lombard que de l'Espagnol, histoire quand tu nous tiens ... Con rispetto et amicizia !!! ( c'est sympatique d'être "en live" là ! ) Françoise

@theoperatripleaxel5417 2 года назад

Such stamine...

@ajhiflyer 6 лет назад

...had disappeared 'form' the stage... Is it not worth proof reading such an important preamble to an excerpt such as this?

@EdmundStAustell 12 лет назад

Mon amie! Vous devez avoir pensé que j'étais fou, vous écris en espagnol! Pour une raison quelconque, j'étais sûr que vous m'avez dit, à un moment ou un autre, que vous avez eu une sorte de connexion avec l'Espagne, ou d'un intérêt réel dans la musique espagnole. Donc désolé ... Je pense que mon esprit a dû errer! Retour vers le français :-)

@eberlinpascal2837 4 месяца назад

Sa meilleure version de cette scene d'hamlet est un live de Milan en 1956 ,en italien .Et cette fois là à Milan elle est bien meilleure que toute ses rivales ,meme Sutherland ,qui n'a pas l'intelligence de l'interprétation .

@josephhapp9 4 года назад

What is the awful top squeak at the end of the final ascending scale. Beg pardon ,,,,,,,,,

@crazyorganist1609 2 года назад

Callas was unparalleled in most roles but Sutherland just sings it better in this case

@Eiswirth1 3 года назад

As beautiful as this is, I prefer Sutherland's version on her classic "Art of the Primadonna" album. Let's enjoy both.

@victoremmanuell_ptbr1902 3 года назад

Yes. But before Sutherland was always Callas. She was the SOPRANO that brought back the Bel canto and some operas that were forgotten by most artists. She opened doors to Sutherlands, Nilssons, Caballets, and others who come after her. Even she wasn't in her best, we must respect what she represents to the art.

@jondavwal13 3 месяца назад

@@victoremmanuell_ptbr1902 Nobody denies Callas's importance but people also deny what a mess the voice was from a very early age. She paved the way but she was hardly the best.

@jondavwal13 6 лет назад

I would say that Callas was great, probably the greatest Tosca, as well as some others. However, listening to this after Sutherland is kind of painful. Inhabiting the character is one thing, but the high notes are just not good and any note sung more than mezzo forte exposes the spread in her vibrato. This music was just not for her.

@crazyorganist1609 2 года назад

I was about to say the same thing

@pjdonagh 11 лет назад

I suspect that "pretty" is an adjective that Callas would not have appreciated vis a vis her voice or performances!!! I hope that you have stopped ducking but always wise to avoid the idiots!!!

@machovoce6826 7 лет назад

Well, to be fair, Callas was well aware of her ample deficits at this point and only went back to the recording studio because Onassis had virtually bankrupted her with that stupid shipping business. What's sad is that at age 40 she sounds this old. Her interpretive gifts did not desert like her voice (and lover) did, but once the instrument goes, interpretation becomes more a compensation, and a transparent one.

@meltzerboy 7 лет назад

But Callas does NOT sound old here. Moreover, she sings in impeccable French, her coloratura figures and scales are very good as is her legato, and she creates a real portrayal of the pitiful Ophelie. Her high notes are shrill, which they were from the beginning, and her trills are less than perfect but there. She does not shirk any of the inordinate demands of the music. Compare her recording to that of Sutherland, who makes some pretty sounds, has a great trill and high notes, but creates no character in her singing of the role.

@jirizika6266 6 лет назад

Oh my God ! Do you know what ALL she had sung before she was 40 !!! Try to find some first class soprano with such a work load, so many completly different roles from high dramatic soprano (Medea, Torandot, Brunhilde) through dramatic coloratura ( Armida, Norma, Anna Bolena, LUcia etc.) and dramatic and verism to light lyric ( Sonnambula, Lakmeetc.) Hundreds of performances, recordings.... Yes, she had sad and depressing events in her life and these more than whatever else influenced her voice and she lost a courage to perform on stage. But her last recordings witness her voice was still able to sing (Je veux vivre" -Juliet Waltz e.g.) in the way many others would pay whatever to be so good at the top of her career.... hahaha

@jondavwal13 3 месяца назад

She was 35 here and the voice was already starting to crumble.

@jondavwal13 3 месяца назад

@@jirizika6266 Her workload was you put it could also be credited to her stupidity and being completely irresponsible with her instrument. Yes she sang everything all at once. She was an idiot.

@Eiswirth1 8 лет назад

Callas sings this with sounds like a mouth full of marbles, and her top notes are painful to hear; other than that it's good. No soprano has ever come close to the other-worldly greatness of Sutherland's version on her "Art of the Prima Donna."

@123pailin 8 лет назад

Why do you say that Callas sings this with a mouth full of marbles??? Do you speak or understand french??? Because if you would you would marvel at her pronounciation, how every word comes to life... On the other hand, Sutherland's french is a joke. She does not even know what she is singing even if her voice was better suited and her top notes brilliant. Callas never sang with a mouth full of marbles, that was actually the speciality of Madame Sutherland despite her soaring high notes....Take the libretto and look for yourself....

@joseabraham8038 8 лет назад

I for one love her steely high notes, and her french diction is exemplary. Sutherland on the other hand, was just high notes and coloratura

@Eiswirth1 7 лет назад

That's what you Callas fanatics always say in defense of her ugly voice.

@meltzerboy 7 лет назад

I am not a Callas fanatic although I often appreciate her artful singing. On this recording, she is superb, excepting her high notes and trills, exactly what Sutherland excels in. Callas' French is splendid and she sings with touching pathos in beautiful legato lines. Her coloratura figures are very good as well and performed not merely for display but to accentuate the madness of Ophelie. Sutherland's recording on The Art of the Prima Donna is astonishing in its coloratura brilliance and accuracy; however, she does not succeed in creating the pitiful characterization that Callas does.

@12341234W1 7 лет назад

Suth Pav, ugly voice to you maybe, the most beautiful of all for me! A question of personal taste, you should know that. A beautiful voice can become very boring , an expressive voice like Callas is not so limited, a voice like that is able to express a thousand emotions. Its like eating fruit, you like a banana , I an apple. Who is right, no one , we both are!

@MrMin316 7 лет назад

Painfull. How any soprano can sing this after "La Stupenda"is having a joke...That includes Callas. She is so far out of her depth.

@jirizika6266 6 лет назад

Be a little more tolerant, please. For me for example, is Sutherland´s version unlistenable. Dull singing robot, perfect machinery, no soul in her voice. Opera is a drama, not just a vocal exhibition. Natalia Dessay who has not been mentioned here, shows how this piece is dramatic. Sutherland - and I fully respect her technique and voice range, misses all why people love Maria Callas - drama, passion, emotions. Sorry.

@kastrafior1487 5 лет назад

@@jirizika6266 Thank you ! C'est exactement mon point de vue. Callas avait une vérité vocale que personne n'a jamais atteinte, une vocalité supra-normale, sacrifiée sur l'autel des dieux de l'opéra. Des dieux terribles et merveilleux.

@josephhapp9 4 года назад

Jiří Zika sorry about the high notes crit,,,,,but sometimes in this they are bad.

@jondavwal13 3 месяца назад

@@jirizika6266 She was a walking train wreck. I don't hear much drama here beyond extremely ugly and wobbly high notes and no, her diction is not good here.