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...
|