Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
In case there was a moment in your life when your suspected that Maria Callas was not a driving force in opera in the last half of this century, pick up this set. Apparently unable to give a dull performance, here we get Callas in La Divina as Rossini's flirty Rosina; Verdi's emotion-torn Aida; Catalani's unbelievably sad Wally (a classic performance, by which all others are measured); Bellini's Norma (ditto); Puccini's lovely, youthful Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi; the same composer's frigid, furious Turandot as well as his confused, desparate Manon Lescaut; Verdi's Loenoras--each noble; Meyerbeer's ditzy Dinorah and Delibes's loco Lakme (in some fabulous, high-flying coloratura singing); and at least a dozen more roles. While it's true that her control over her voice varies--the French coloratura arias, from Gounod and Thomas operas, can be pretty acidic--there's never an uninterested reading, never a once-over read-through. You'll get to know the characters as well as their music by hearing Callas as each heroine--indeed, this collection is like a who's who in opera. No music lover should be without it. --Robert Levine









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Disc 1:

1. Act 2. Un bel dì, vedremo
2. Act 1. L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera)
3. Act 1. Ebben? ne andrò lontana
4. Act 1. Una voce poco fa
5. Act 1. Casta Diva
6. Act 2. Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix
7. Act 1. Caro nome
8. Act 1. Sempre libera
9. Act 1. Je veux vivre dans ce rêve
10. Act 1. Sì, mi chiamano Mimi
11. Act 2. Mi tradì quell'alma ingrata
12. Voi lo sapete, o mamma
13. Act 4. Suicido!
14. O mio babbino caro
15. Act 2. In questa reggia
16. Act 2. Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore

Disc 2:

1. Act 1. Divinités du Styx
2. Act 2. Les tringles des sistres tintaient (Chanson bohème)
3. Act 1. Surta è la notte... Ernani! Ernani, involami
4. Act 2. In quelle trine morbide
5. Act 1. Ritorna vincitor
6. Act 4. J'ai perdu mon Eurydice
7. Act 5. Bolero: Mercè, dilette amiche
8. Act 3. Depuis le jour
9. Act 3. Donde lieta uscì
10. Act 2. Ah, pour ce soir... Je suis Titania (Polonaise)
11. Act 3. Teneste la promessa... Addio, del passato
12. Act 3. O don fatale
13. Act 1. Printemps qui commence
14. Act 1. Compagne, teneri amici... Come per me sereno
15. Act 1. Ecco: respiro appena... Io son l'umile ancella
16. Act 3. Spargi d'amaro pianto

Disc 3:

1. Act 3. La mamma morta
2. Act 2. O Nume tutelar
3. Act 2. Je ne suis que faiblesse... Adieu, notre petite table
4. Act 2. Oh, sarò la più bella... Tu, tu amore?
5. Act 1. Près des remparts de Séville (Séguedille)
6. Act 1. Dunque io son
7. Act 2. Dov' è l'indiana bruna?
8. Act 3. Qui Radamès verrà!... O patria mia
9. Act 1. O soave fanciulla
10. Act 1. Signore, ascolta!
11. Act 1. Qual fiamma avea nel guardo... Hui! Stridono lassù
12. Act 4. D'amor sull' ali rosee
13. Act 1. Vogliatemi bene, un bene piccolino
14. Act 2. Ombra leggiera

Disc 4:

1. Well, Madame Callas -- even though I've been looking forward to it for so long -- it's a surprising
2. And the same thing seems to me to apply to your career in general...
3. But -- you know -- you are speaking of not being traditional and so on...
4. You were speaking a moment ago about your 'first' career
5. There is always a certain limit, even in 'corone,' as they say -- in long held notes...
6. Tell me -- one thing that I would have thought would have taken a lot of will-power -- you were at
7. You know -- there's another question that I want to ask you very much, and that is: in this enormou
8. You said that you have had to struggle and yet it seems very hard to believe...
9. I'd heard so many stories about you before you came to this country...
10. Well -- now tell me -- when you're singing the bel canto roles...
11. Music has to be well performed

Rating: - Excellent collection of Callas's best
Excellent collection showcasing Callas's full range of vocal talents and her most well known pieces. The set also contains an interview with her that answers many questions one may have about her as an artist.

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Rating: - AWESOME Little Black Box from La DIVINA
This Beautiful Box holds Tears, Laughter, Sadness, Joy, Madness, Deliriam, Love, Hate, Great Good, Evil Incarnate...And MORE!

Never, in the whole history of acting, singing, all of theater, has there Ever been Anyone Like Her! Mlle Callas! The Great One! La DIVINA!

All this amazing woman had to do was simply walk out onto the stage; and it was "automatic"...you were "hooked"...PERIOD! She did not have to even open her mouth! Never, in all my years have I ever seen anything like it! Even in the few pieces of film clips that we have of her, it is spellbinding to watch this fabulous entertainer work her talent(s) to our complete, spellbound, belief that she was, certainly, whoever she was "playing" on any given night/in any performance! Truly, The Greatest Performer of the 20th Century (NOBODY could touch her or even come close for sheer dramatic intensity)...the Looks! the Expressions! the Arms! the Hands! the Eyes! And, of Course, the VOICE!

The Voice: While it was not "pretty" like Tebaldi, Sutherland, and many others, it was impossible not to be drawn in, spellbound, by it. It was, in truth, sort of ugly...but, you Could Not ignore it! You could not pass over it! It was Real, Believable, and you willingly drank it up! We, luckily, have the recordings that "La Divina" left us, and, they are enough. Some are perfectly caught, some are not. All are satisfying, because they are what we have.

Once in a generation, perhaps, we get a supreme artist. In the case of Mlle Callas, it was once in a century...and, how lucky we are that it was a century that had recording equipment to preserve her efforts for us. EMI, thanks to you for packaging these four beautiful discs for our enjoyment into this perfect little black box! Long Live Callas...."Bravo" La Divina! Enjoy this one, folks! ~operabruin

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Rating: - Mesmerizing set. La Divina's gift to the world.
I have listened to this 4-cd set numerous times and each occasion yields an abundant harvest. Maria Callas, one of my favorites, thrills, exalts, and saddens the listener to no end. You don't have to be a classical music fan to enjoy and be moved by this music. I cannot find words to substantially explain the beauty and meaning of this set.

Thank you La Divina.

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Rating: - Breathtaking!
I am no expert, I just love music. I bought this set in order to get an overview of what Callas offers, boy did I get more than I bargained for. There are many wonderful sopranos, I won't say this one or that one is better... its like good wine, what you choose to drink depends on your mood. Sutherland is purity, Bartoli is sheer joy, Callas is darkness. For me she is the Schubert of the voice and she can make me weep, that is her power, pure and simple.

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Rating: - Callas is Still Opera's Queen
With the apparent genius embedded in Callas' singing, it is no wonder that decades after her death, her voice will still echo within the chambers of our living rooms. Her great sense of the bel canto style, combined with the empassioned soul she juxtaposed into her performances, along with her amazing control over the three hundred (acclaimed conductor Nicola Rescigno said this) voices she had, are undeniably the reason why such a controversial singer survived the passing of time with a legion of fans still eager to submit to her amazing and passionate singing. She had the ability to chop a singular, monotonic-sounding instrument to convert it into a million shades of human emotion--something that no great singer was able to do today. She was the divine goddess of opera, able to command any listener to watch and listen to her declaim her roles. It was because of this that she was called "La Divina", and then many years later as "The Voice of the Century". But what defines a Voice of the Century, you might ask? It is the ability to live the life of a character all the while singing the lines, the melodies, the trills, and the embellishments required to bring a certain degree of drama into the role. Meaning there was no need for overornamentation, or such and so. Being the Voix du Secle didn't mean that you could sing coloratura roles so efficiently. If that were so, then Lily Pons would have been the Voice of the Century. Callas did so much more than that. She breathed life into opera, and turned it into the most illustrious and the most highly celebrated of all arts. No other singer can claim to have done that, no matter how amazing the range, how great the tonal quality whatsoever. Only Callas deserves such a title...and she truly was La Divina and The Voice of the Century.

I am also a big fan of Joan Sutherland. I just don't find it right for her to be tackling overly dramatic roles such as Norma, which her middle voices couldn't support. The middle voice is required for Bellini, you know. Joan Sutherland has a perfect vocal technique, but let me let you in on something divulged to me by an authority in music: Joan Sutherland never learned to read notes. She had a perfect sense of hearing, and it was Andre Previn and not Richard Bonynge who introduced the roles to her. Andre Previn would play a note on the piano, and she would just follow by singing. Surprising isn't it that the most celebrated coloratura of our age never learned to read notes? She has a great voice anyhow, but the only other thing that bothered me is that she didn't put her soul into singing. Although her voice remained in her throat until her 60's, the only reason that happened was because she didn't pour out her soul. Callas' technique, although one of the most attractive ever to have walked this planet (she could very well sing anything and be the character), was damaging to the vocal cords. Pouring your soul into the role has a tendency to scratch your instrument. Still, she was the Divine One, and she truly places first as my favorite soprano of all time.