Zum 100. Geburtstag von #LaDivina mal wieder den zu unbekannten #Poliuto von #Donizetti aufgelegt 🎶 #MariaCallas #MariaCallas100 #Callas #Callas100

Maria Callas photographed by Cecil Beaton in red dress and white fur coat.

Callas was exceptional and flawed at the same time: the imperfect perfection. Happy birthday La Divina, #MariaCallas100 23/23

It was a tragic early death for one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, perhaps of all time: an artist who could paint a character’s thoughts with her voice, who could sing tears, who could convey malice with a dark wall of sound. #MariaCallas100 22/23

Maria Callas with her personal secretary and beloved two poodles in Paris in 1976.

In 1977 she began preparations for her return looking to perform Werther in 1978. The previous video includes audio of her practising scenes from La Forza del Destino in the August of 1977. She died a month later at the age of 53. #MariaCallas100 21/23

the early part of the tour. Astonishingly, towards the end of the tour her voice had improved so much it was arguably better than it had been 9 years earlier. The evidence is there: youtube.com/watch?v=krGe... #MariaCallas100 20/23

Maria Callas on stage, dressed in red by a piano. She was performing for her world tour with Giuseppe di Stefano in 1973/1974.

There is no doubt she lacked confidence due to the perceived frailties of her voice. Footage of her during the comeback tour of 1973-1974 showed someone mentally struggling to cope with the weakness of her voice during #MariaCallas100 19/23

Maria Callas in red costume edged with gold for her role of Tosca.

In the 1960s she began to perform less and less, though she gave many concerts and performed the famous Act II of Tosca at Covent Garden – the go-to footage used by most TV companies. She gave her final performance in July 1965 at Covent Garden. #MariaCallas100 18/23

Four screenshots from rare footage of Callas in the role of Medea.

From 1957 onwards it was clear Callas was having trouble with her voice, however she still had some astonishing performances still to give, most notably the 1958 Lisbon Traviata and the Dallas Medea. #MariaCallas100 17/23

The Mad Scene is particularly astonishing. And though there is the Callas v Sutherland fan rivalry for this role, I find it difficult to distinguish this 1955 from Sutherland’s 1959 performance. They compare favourably. youtube.com/watch?v=BxKo... #MariaCallas100 16/23

Maria Callas - a montage of four photos from the mad scene of Lucia di Lammermoor 1954.

La Sonnambula, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, & closing the year with what was her greatest performance of Norma. I return to this Berlin performance of Lucia often (though it often changes with my mood). #MariaCallas100 15/23

Callas regarded 1955 as her greatest year. She was due to sing Il Trovatore, but this was changed to singing Maddelena in Andrea Chenier – a role she learnt in just a few days! She sang Medea, and then the legendary performances: #MariaCallas100 14/23

the ‘impossible concert’ at Torino with arias from Macbeth, Nabucco, Lucia di Lammermoor and Lakme youtube.com/watch?v=s37i... #MariaCallas100 13/23

A signed photograph of Maria Callas on stage at Covent Garden in 1952 in the character of Norma.

Leonora, Kostanze (Serail), Aida, Gioconda, Tosca, Euridice (Haydn), Elena (Vespri Siciliani), Elvira (Puritani) and the main aria of Lakme and Abigaile in concert. Indeed it was the same year she performed #MariaCallas100 12/23

Comment from YouTuber: 'This is not just Callas' greatest virtuosic achievement. It's Rossini's greatest, as well. It's a travel, a tour de force between the lower and upper segments of the voice, requiring a heroic weight and agility throughout the entire range. Listen how her head voice and the demonic chest tones represent her human and sorceress qualities, finalizing with her choice of vengeance over love in the finale. Callas' chiaroscuro tones, declamatory recitatives, and androgynous range in this work is perfect for Armida.

One YouTuber perfectly summed up Callas’ superhuman performance. It’s also hard to believe that during this year she also sang: Norma, Lucia, Traviata, Lady Macbeth, Armida, Gilda, Trovatore and #MariaCallas100 11/23

There has been some suggestions that Callas was an actress who could sing a bit. It's nonsense of course. Listen to her 1952 Armida, often described as one of or THE greatest performance in theatre history. youtube.com/watch?v=okWy... #MariaCallas100 10/23

Maria Callas in the costume for a performance of La Traviata in Mexico.

That same year she first appeared in Rome, Buenos Aires, and Naples and in 1950 in Mexico City. Callas made her debut at La Scala in Milan in 1950, singing in I Vespri siciliani. #MariaCallas100 9/23

and would eventually include Rossini. In 1949, Callas’ first recording of the mad scene from I Puritani was released. She was just 26. youtu.be/fzzIskhjpuk?... #MariaCallas100 8/23

Maria Callas in the costume and character of Violetta from La Traviata.

lighter-voiced Italian works. These included Bellini (I Puritani and Norma, Donizetti (Lucia di Lammermoor and Anna Bolena) Verdi’s Violetta (La traviata) and Gilda (Rigoletto) and Puccini’s Tosca, #MariaCallas100 7/23

Maria Callas in costume for Gioconda in 1947. She appears to be standing next to a young George Lascelles, (Lord Harewood).

She went on to sing La Gioconda in Verona under conductor, Tullio Serafin. After concentrating on “heavier” soprano roles such as Verdi’s Aida & Wagner’s (Tristan and Isolde), Kundry (Parsifal) & Brünnhilde from The Valkyrie, Serafin persuaded her to attempt #MariaCallas100 6/23

Maria Callas in the costume of Abigaille from Nabucco in 1949. She holds a sword and is standing in front of steps. Black and white photograph.

point out that her career was short, failing to acknowledge her career of the 1940s (possibly because of the lack of recordings) and the seven roles and 56 performances she had given by her return to New York in 1945. #MariaCallas100 5/23

Maria Callas on stage in a production of Boccaccio in 1941. Her left hand is held high and a man is kneeling in front of her.

In 1942, aged 18, Callas made her professional operatic debut as Puccini’s Tosca in Athens. Two years later, she played Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio. When speaking of Callas, most commentators #MariaCallas100 4/23

A family group photo showing three adult females and two adult males plus Maria Callas aged about 12 on steps outside a house.

Accompanied by her mother, she left the United States in 1937 first studying with Maria Trivella at the Greek National Conservatory, then in 1940 at the Athens Conservatory with soprano Elvira de Hidalgo. #MariaCallas100 3/23

Maria Callas as a child sitting outdoors circa 1930.

Maria Callas was born #otd the 2nd December 1923 in New York, New York, USA. Her parents named her Maria Cecilia Sophia Anna Kalogeropoulos and it was clear that from an early age she had a gift for singing. #MariaCallas100 2/23

Maria Callas and Franco Zeffirelli when they were working on the production of Tosca in 1964.

To celebrate #MariaCallas100 I will be skeeting some threads. I have only ever been interested in Callas as a supreme artist and icon, therefore I am not going to bother with the Onassis stuff. 1/23