Ian Belsey wrote:
> Now then, here we go! Please bear in mind. One of the
> reasons Maria Callas' voice was shot to Hell; apart
> from the fact she lost all the weight etc, is that she
> believed what she was doing to be real. BIG mistake!
I agree that Maria Callas had problems with her voice. However, I'm not aware
of any
consensus as to the cause. I am certain, however, that Maria Callas did not in
her
performing mistake acting for reality. Actually, I always thought her drama on
stage was
very disciplined and planned, and that she used her voice very well technically
to convey
the drama of the music. I also think that a major reason she was so compelling
was not
that she let all her emotions hang out. Instead, she made sure that every
musical aspect
of the drama tha the composer wrote into the music was realized. She did this
with legato,
phrasing, dynamics, stage movement, etc. Rehearsed and rehearsed and
rehearsed. I
believe, from listening to recordings and seeing her on video and reading about
her life
and her art, that she was an incredibly discplined performer. Her genius is
that the hard
work and discipline was made to seem spontaneous and real to life.
As to what caused her vocal decline, some say it was the too-fast weight loss,
some say it
was the high society life style, some say it was unhappiness in her love life,
some say it
was because she sang parts that were too heavy for her voice, some say it was
because
there was a fatal flaw in her basic vocal technique that caught up with her.
Maybe it was
because she sang demanding roles with her full voice every minute of every
rehearsal, for
hours at a time. Probably it was all of the above.
Peggy
--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh@i...
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