Callas, Maria (soprano) at La Scala (1955)

Callas at La Scala (1955)

Maria Callas (soprano)
Orchestra of La Scala Milan, Tullio Serafin

BELLINI La sonnambula, Act 1: “Compagne, temiri amici ….Come per me sereno” (Amina) (5:47)
Act 3: “Oh, se una volta sola ….Ah! non credea mirarti” (Amina) (14:05)

CHERBINI Medea, Act 1: “Dei tuoi figli la madre from Medea” (Medea) (4:48)
SPONTINI La vestale, Act 2 “Tu che invoco con orrore”, “O nome tutelar”  (Julia) (13:23)
Act 3: “Caro oggetto” (Julia) (3:45)

Callas first sang at Milan’s legendary La Scala for the opening of the 1951–1952 season (in Verdi’s I vespri siciliani) and she became closely identified with the theatre, notably in productions directed by Luchino Visconti and his protégé Franco Zeffirelli. Spontini’s La vestale was staged for her there in 1954, Bellini’s La sonnambula in 1955, and her final La Scala performances came in 1962 with Cherubini’s Medea. ‘This wonderful record gives us … Callas at her most spell-binding and enthralling,’ wrote Gramophone. ‘Callas at La Scala … shows the diva at her most exciting and most beautiful.