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76-708: Pagrati includes the Ilissos river valley and extends to the south as far as the Panathinaic Stadium and the First Cemetery of Athens . Its eastern boundary was once defined by the Hymettus Mountain slopes but with the extension of the city in interwar period the modern eastern boundary is Nikiforidi Str. and Iliados Str., including Deliolani Square. To the north and northeast, the area fades into Hilton and National Gallery area, but it

152-622: A big outdoor theatre like Verona's, this girl, with her courage and huge voice, would make a tremendous impact." Subsequently he recommended Callas to retired tenor and impresario Giovanni Zenatello . During her audition, Zenatello became so excited that he jumped up and joined Callas in the act 4 duet. It was in this role that Callas made her Italian debut. Upon her arrival in Verona , Callas met Giovanni Battista Meneghini, an older, wealthy industrialist, who began courting her. They married in 1949, and he assumed control of her career until 1959, when

228-562: A concert to inaugurate what then was billed as the Dallas Civic Opera , and helped establish that company with her friends from Chicago, Lawrence Kelly and Nicola Rescigno . She further consolidated this company's standing when, in 1958, she gave "a towering performance as Violetta in La traviata , and that same year, in her only American performances of Medea , gave an interpretation of the title role worthy of Euripides." In 1958,

304-471: A decrease in housing affordability . Pangrati has numerous squares: Plastira, Pangratiou ("of Pangrati"), Messolongiou, Proskopon, Profitis Ilias, Agios Spyridon, Deliolani and Varnava. Pangrati Square is home to the Pangrati Park, together with a major street named Spirou Merkouri, which runs into Vassileos Konstantinou Ave and up towards Evangelismos Metro Station . Agios Spyridon Square features

380-660: A feud with Rudolf Bing led to Callas' Metropolitan Opera contract being cancelled. Impresario Allen Oxenburg realised that this situation provided him with an opportunity for his own company, the American Opera Society , and he accordingly approached her with a contract to perform Imogene in Il pirata . She accepted and sang the role in a January 1959 performance that according to opera critic Allan Kozinn "quickly became legendary in operatic circles". Bing and Callas later reconciled their differences, and she returned to

456-433: A few days' notice. Throughout her career, Callas displayed her vocal versatility in recitals that juxtaposed dramatic soprano arias alongside coloratura pieces, including in a 1952 RAI recital in which she opened with " Lady Macbeth's letter scene ", followed by the "Mad Scene" from Lucia di Lammermoor , then Abigaille's treacherous recitative and aria from Nabucco , finishing with the "Bell Song" from Lakmé capped by

532-574: A local hero, was located there, giving its name to the modern suburb of Pagkrati . Ilisos was also considered a demi-god, the son of Poseidon and Demetra , and was worshipped in a sanctuary on the Ardittos Hill, next to the current Panathinaiko Stadium . This area was named Cynosarges in antiquity and the spring of Kallirrhóē was located there. The stream drains the western slopes of Mount Hymettus , and originates from multiple converging seasonal creeks. As urban Athens expanded during

608-609: A more distinguished career than Tullio Serafin, and perhaps none, apart from Toscanini , more influence". In 1968, Callas recalled that working with Serafin was the "really lucky" opportunity of her career because "he taught me that there must be an expression; that there must be a justification. He taught me the depth of music, the justification of music. That's where I really really drank all I could from this man". The great turning point in Callas' career occurred in Venice in 1949. She

684-554: A museum primarily devoted to post-Byzantine Greek Art was renovated recently in a $ 71,60 million expansion project, hosts the biggest collection of Greek paintings making it one of the most important spots of the neighbourhood. The National Hellenic Research Foundation is also located in Pangrati. Maria Callas , the famous soprano, has also studied in the Athens Conservatoire , which lies within Pangrati, just next to

760-511: A new door for us, for all the singers in the world, a door that had been closed. Behind it was sleeping not only great music but great idea of interpretation. She has given us the chance, those who follow her, to do things that were hardly possible before her. That I am compared with Callas is something I never dared to dream. It is not right. I am much smaller than Callas. As with I puritani , Callas learned and performed Cherubini's Medea , Giordano 's Andrea Chénier and Rossini's Armida on

836-838: A pupil immediately, but Callas' mother asked de Hidalgo to wait for a year, as Callas would be graduating from the National Conservatoire and could begin working. On April 2, 1939, Callas undertook the part of Santuzza in a student production of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana at the Greek National Opera at the Olympia Theatre , and in the fall of the same year she enrolled at the Athens Conservatoire in Elvira de Hidalgo's class. In 1968, Callas told Lord Harewood , De Hildalgo had

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912-594: A relief of the god Pan. This deity of wild nature was worshiped regularly in caves and rocky terrain. Pan is depicted striding to the right with the "pipes of Pan" in his right hand and a stick for hunting hares on the left. Others believe that this is the Shrine of the Nymphs and the river god Acheloos, with a spring of cold water, a plane tree and a willow, where, as Plato writes, Socrates and Phaedros sat during their philosophical chats. It then flows under Theseos Avenue, in

988-617: A ringing high E in alt (E6). Although by 1951, Callas had sung at all the major theatres in Italy, she had not yet made her official debut at Italy's most prestigious opera house, Teatro alla Scala in Milan. According to composer Gian Carlo Menotti , Callas had substituted for Renata Tebaldi in the role of Aida in 1950, and La Scala's general manager, Antonio Ghiringhelli, had taken an immediate dislike to Callas. Menotti recalls that Ghiringhelli had promised him any singer he wanted for

1064-439: A series of concerts around Greece, and then, against her teacher's advice, she returned to America to see her father and to further pursue her career. When she left Greece on September 14, 1945, two months short of her 22nd birthday, Callas had given 56 performances in seven operas and had appeared in around 20 recitals. Callas considered her Greek career as the foundation of her musical and dramatic upbringing, saying "When I got to

1140-403: Is a whole vast language of its own. De Hidalgo later recalled Callas as "a phenomenon... She would listen to all my students, sopranos, mezzos, tenors... She could do it all." Callas said that she would go to "the conservatoire at 10 in the morning and leave with the last pupil ... devouring music" for 10 hours a day. When asked by her teacher why she did this, her answer was that even "with

1216-673: Is considered that the area north of Vassileos Alexandrou Ave. as far north to Hilton Athens hotel and northeast as Andreas Syngros Hospital is part of Pagrati. Pagrati is bordered by the Kolonaki ( Greek : Κολωνάκι ) neighborhood to the west, the Ilisia ( Greek : Ιλίσια ) neighborhood and the Kaisariani ( Greek : Καισαριανή ) to the north, the Vyronas ( Greek : Βύρωνας ) and Dafni-Ymittos ( Greek : Δάφνη-Υμηττός ) municipalities to

1292-594: The Athens Center for Research and Hellenic Studies in Pangrati. The Center is housed in the Stanley J. Seeger ’52 House, a 1930s-era townhouse. It is the one and only research and scholarship center of Princeton University anywhere outside of the United States. Pangrati is served by Evangelismos metro station , by buses #054, 203, 204, 209, 732 and trolleys #2, 4 and 11. Recent information released by

1368-620: The Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. Simionato was convinced that Callas "managed to remain untouched", but never forgave her mother for what she perceived as a kind of prostitution forced on her. Litsa, beginning in New York and continuing in Athens, had adopted a questionable lifestyle that included not only pushing her daughters into degrading situations to support her financially, but also entertaining Italian and German soldiers during

1444-654: The Elliniko Metro (the constructor of the Athens Metro ) has suggested that there will be a future metro station on the border of Pangrati and Kaisariani on Imittou Street, to be named Pangrati/Kaisariani, on the proposed Line 4 . Ilisos The Ilisos or Ilisus ( Greek : Ιλισός , [iliˈsos] ) is a river in Athens , Greece . Originally a tributary of the Kifisos , it has been rechanneled to

1520-590: The Panathinaiko Stadium , where it was bridged during the 19th century. It then flows to the southeastern flank of the ruined Columns of Olympian Zeus , where it is still visible amidst reed beds , next to the Byzantine chapel of Saint Photeine "of the Ilisos". In older times the river at this point expanded into shallow marshland, termed Βατραχονήσι ( Vatrachonísi ; lit. "Frog Island") in

1596-498: The Presidential Mansion also hosts classy restaurants, bars and cafes. Pangrati has attracted artists from all over Greece, who arrive in the city of Athens to educate themselves and to seek inspiration from its vast pool of artistic resources and galleries. Poets, novelists, writers, painters, composers, musicians made Pangrati one of the most important artistic hubs of Athens. One of the most important Greek poets of

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1672-427: The 1950s. La Scala mounted many new productions specially for Callas by directors such as Herbert von Karajan , Margherita Wallmann , Franco Zeffirelli and, most importantly, Luchino Visconti . Visconti stated later that he began directing opera only because of Callas, and he directed her in lavish new productions of La vestale , La traviata , La sonnambula , Anna Bolena and Iphigénie en Tauride . Callas

1748-496: The 19th and early 20th centuries, the river became a source of pollution and was converted gradually into a rainwater runoff conduit, covered with streets that track its original, twisting route along the lay of the land. Its bed proper flows under Mesogeion Avenue at the Old Gendarmerie Academy, flows under Michalakopoulou (the modern-day Ilisia suburb) and Vasileos Konstantinou Avenues, and passes in front of

1824-474: The 20th century and a Nobel laureate, Giorgos Seferis lived in Pangrati. Manos Hatzidakis , composer who also received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song Never on Sunday from the film of the same name is the personality mostly associated with this Athenian neighbourhood. Other artists who lived in Pangrati include Nikiforos Vrettakos , Yiannis Moralis , Kostas Varnalis , Dimitris Psathas and many others. The National Gallery of Athens ,

1900-741: The Axis occupation. In an attempt to patch things up with her mother, Callas took Litsa along on her first visit to Mexico in 1950, but this only reawakened the old frictions and resentments, and after leaving Mexico they never met again. After a series of angry and accusatory letters from Litsa lambasting Callas' father and husband, Callas ceased communication with her mother altogether. A 1955 Time story covered Callas' response to her mother's request of $ 100, "for my daily bread." Callas had replied, "Don't come to us with your troubles. I had to work for my money, and you are young enough to work, too. If you can't make enough money to live on, you can jump out of

1976-1011: The Cult of Hercules Pankrates, directly beneath the Harry S. Truman statue in Vassileos Konstantinou Avenue . At Agios Spyridon Church, a new museum has changed the cultural map of Athens as the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art opened its gates in October 2019. The Goulandris Museum hosts a world class collection of works by Picasso , Chagall , Van Gogh , Gauguin , El Greco , Degas , Klee, Kandinsky, Rodin , Cézanne , Monet , Miró , Giacometti, Pollock , Bacon and others as well as by prominent Greek artists including George Bouzianis, Yannis Tsarouchis , Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika , Yannis Moralis and Michalis Tombos. Princeton University has recently inaugurated

2052-666: The French program L'invitée du dimanche , Callas attributed the development of her chest voice not to Trivella, but to her next teacher, the Spanish coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo . Callas studied with Trivella for two years before her mother secured another audition at the Athens Conservatoire with de Hidalgo. Callas auditioned with "Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster" from Weber's Oberon . De Hidalgo recalled hearing "tempestuous, extravagant cascades of sounds, as yet uncontrolled but full of drama and emotion". She agreed to take her as

2128-785: The Saint Spyridon Church and Profitis Ilias Square features the Church of the Prophet Elijah ( Greek : Προφήτης Ηλίας ), and the Imittou Avenue, which runs through the entire span of Pangrati starting from Kaisariani; around Varnava Square is the area behind the Kallimarmaro Stadium hosting classy restaurants and various tavernas, while Plastira Square serves as a stop for all three trolley networks and local bus routes. Proskopon Square, just behind

2204-773: The United States was five years later in Chicago in 1954, and "with the Callas Norma , Lyric Opera of Chicago was born." Her Metropolitan Opera debut, opening the Met's seventy-second season on October 29, 1956, was again with Norma , but was preceded by an unflattering cover story in Time magazine, which rehashed all of the Callas clichés, including her temper, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi, and especially her difficult relationship with her mother. As she had done with Lyric Opera of Chicago, on November 21, 1957, Callas gave

2280-513: The United States, a decision which Yakinthi recalled was greeted with Litsa "shouting hysterically" followed by George "slamming doors". The family left for New York in July 1923, moving first into an apartment in the heavily ethnic neighborhood of Astoria, Queens . Litsa was convinced that her third child would be a boy; her disappointment at the birth of another daughter was so great that she refused to even look at her new baby for four days. Maria

2356-489: The artist in the popular press, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her "the Bible of opera", and her influence so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: "Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists." The name on Callas' New York birth certificate is Sophie Cecilia Kalos, although she

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2432-569: The beginning. George was easy-going and unambitious, with no interest in the arts, and Litsa was vivacious and socially ambitious and had dreamed of a life in the arts, which her middle-class parents had stifled in her childhood and youth. Litsa's father, Petros Dimitriadis (1852–1916), was in failing health when Litsa introduced George to her family. Petros, distrustful of George, had warned his daughter, "You will never be happy with him. If you marry that man, I will never be able to help you". Litsa had ignored his warning, but soon realized that her father

2508-462: The bel canto repertoire changed the course of Callas' career and set her on a path leading to Lucia di Lammermoor , La traviata , Armida , La sonnambula , Il pirata , Il turco in Italia , Medea , and Anna Bolena , and reawakened interest in the long-neglected operas of Cherubini , Bellini , Donizetti and Rossini . In the words of soprano Montserrat Caballé : She opened

2584-868: The big career, there were no surprises for me." After returning to the United States and reuniting with her father in September 1945, Callas made the round of auditions. In December of that year, she auditioned for Edward Johnson , general manager of the Metropolitan Opera , and was favorably received: "Exceptional voice—ought to be heard very soon on stage". Callas maintained that the Metropolitan Opera offered her Madama Butterfly and Fidelio , to be performed in Philadelphia and sung in English, both of which she declined, feeling she

2660-404: The course of her career. She underwent a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career. The press exulted in publicizing Callas' temperamental behavior, the alleged Callas- Tebaldi rivalry, and her love affair with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis . Although her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas

2736-594: The east, and the Neos Kosmos ( Greek : Νέος Κόσμος ) neighborhood to the south. It is not to be confused as a separate suburb, as it is part of the City of Athens proper. However, it is frequently mistaken as such, possibly because of it bordering the actual suburban towns of Vyronas and Kaisariani. In the second decade of the 21st century, Pagrati has experienced a renaissance as a destination for hipsters , with concomitant gentrification , house price increases, and

2812-413: The first act out of curiosity while at the conservatory. She sight-read the opera's second act for Serafin, who praised her for knowing the role so well, whereupon she admitted to having bluffed and having sight-read the music. Even more impressed, Serafin immediately cast her in the role. Serafin thereafter served as Callas' mentor and supporter. Lord Harewood stated "Very few Italian conductors have had

2888-571: The international opera repertoire with the utmost musicality. On April 11, 1938, in her public debut, Callas ended the recital of Trivella's class at the Parnassos music hall with a duet from Tosca . Callas recalled that Trivella had a French method, which was placing the voice in the nose, rather nasal... and I had the problem of not having low chest tones , which is essential in bel canto ... And that's where I learned my chest tones. However, when interviewed by Pierre Desgraupes on

2964-572: The least talented pupil, he can teach you something that you, the most talented, might not be able to do." After several appearances as a student, Callas began appearing in secondary roles at the Greek National Opera. De Hidalgo was instrumental in securing roles for her, allowing Callas to earn a small salary, which helped her and her family get through the difficult war years. Callas made her professional debut in February 1941, in

3040-410: The marriage dissolved. It was Meneghini's love and support that gave Callas the time needed to establish herself in Italy, and throughout the prime of her career, she went by the name of Maria Meneghini Callas. After La Gioconda , Callas had no offers, and when Serafin, looking for someone to sing Isolde , called on her, she told him that she already knew the score, even though she had looked at only

3116-623: The music dramas of Wagner . Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina ("The Divine One"). Born in Manhattan , New York City, to Greek immigrant parents, she was raised by an overbearing mother who had wanted a son. Maria received her musical education in Greece at age 13 and later established her career in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies of 1940s wartime poverty and with near-sightedness that left her nearly blind onstage, she endured struggles and scandal over

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3192-471: The performance, one critic wrote, "Even the most sceptical had to acknowledge the miracle that Maria Callas accomplished... the flexibility of her limpid, beautifully poised voice, and her splendid high notes. Her interpretation also has a humanity, warmth and expressiveness that one would search for in vain in the fragile, pellucid coldness of other Elviras." Franco Zeffirelli recalled, "What she did in Venice

3268-444: The performances, declared Leonore Callas' "greatest triumph": When Maria Kaloyeropoulou's Leonore let her soprano soar out radiantly in the untrammelled jubilation of the duet, she rose to the most sublime heights...Here she gave bud, blossom and fruit to that harmony of sound that also ennobled the art of the prima donna. After the liberation of Greece, de Hidalgo advised Callas to establish herself in Italy. Callas proceeded to give

3344-614: The premiere of The Consul , but when he suggested Callas, Ghiringhelli said that he would never have Callas at La Scala except as a guest artist. However, as Callas' fame grew, and especially after her great success in I vespri siciliani in Florence, Ghiringhelli had to relent: Callas made her official debut at La Scala in Verdi's I vespri siciliani on opening night in December 1951, and this theatre became her artistic home throughout

3420-422: The prestigious Athens Conservatoire , without success. At the audition, her voice, still untrained, failed to impress, and the conservatoire's director Filoktitis Oikonomidis  [ el ] refused to accept her without her satisfying the theoretic prerequisites ( solfege ). In the summer of 1937, her mother visited Maria Trivella at the younger Greek National Conservatoire , asking her to take Mary, as she

3496-471: The rarest dramatic and musical gifts", and Evangelos Magkliveras evaluated Callas' performance for the weekly To Radiophonon : The singer who took the part of Marta, that new star in the Greek firmament, with a matchless depth of feeling, gave a theatrical interpretation well up to the standard of a tragic actress. About her exceptional voice with its astonishing natural fluency, I do not wish to add anything to

3572-593: The real great training, maybe even the last real training of the real bel canto . As a young girl—thirteen years old—I was immediately thrown into her arms, meaning that I learned the secrets, the ways of this bel canto , which of course as you well know, is not just beautiful singing. It is a very hard training; it is a sort of a strait-jacket that you're supposed to put on, whether you like it or not. You have to learn to read, to write, to form your sentences, how far you can go, fall, hurt yourself, put yourself back on your feet continuously. De Hidalgo had one method, which

3648-711: The rest of Callas' career. The night of the day she married Meneghini in Verona, she sailed for Argentina to sing at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Callas made her South American debut in Buenos Aires on May 20, 1949, during the European summer opera recess. Aida , Turandot and Norma roles were directed by Serafin, supported by Mario Del Monaco , Fedora Barbieri and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni. These were her only appearances on this world-renowned stage. Her debut in

3724-612: The river flowed outside the city walls of Athens : Plato wrote in Critias that the river was one of the borders of the ancient walls. Its banks—in the busy intersection that presently features the Hilton Hotel and the National Gallery —were grassy and shaded by plane trees , and were considered idyllic in antiquity; they were the favored haunts of Socrates for his walks and teaching. The temple of Pankrátēs ,

3800-590: The role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana again and followed it with O Protomastoras  [ el ] ( Manolis Kalomiris ) at the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre at the foot of the Acropolis . During August and September 1944, Callas performed the role of Leonore in a Greek language production of Fidelio , again at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. German critic Friedrich Herzog , who witnessed

3876-413: The same career would have been cause enough for surprise; but to attempt to essay them both in the same season seemed like folie de grandeur ". Before the performance actually took place, one incredulous critic snorted, "We hear that Serafin has agreed to conduct I puritani with a dramatic soprano ... When can we expect a new edition of La traviata with [male baritone] Gino Bechi 's Violetta?" After

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3952-533: The sea. It is now largely channeled underground, though as of June 2019 there were plans to unearth the river. Together with the neighbouring river Kifisos, it drains a catchment area of 420 km (160 sq mi). Its name is in all probability Pre-Greek : it features the ending -sós / -ssós / -ttós , which it shares with many other toponyms in Attica and other rivers in Greece, all of which are considered linguistic substratum survivals. During antiquity,

4028-481: The small role of Beatrice in Franz von Suppé 's Boccaccio . Soprano Galatea Amaxopoulou, who sang in the chorus, later recalled, "Even in rehearsal, Maria's fantastic performing ability had been obvious, and from then on, the others started trying ways of preventing her from appearing." Fellow singer Maria Alkeou similarly recalled that the established sopranos Nafsika Galanou and Anna (Zozó) Remmoundou "used to stand in

4104-549: The suburb of Kallithea , its original course turning sharply northwest to join the Kifissos River, of which it was once a tributary. The Ilisos is now routed straight to sea, coming to surface and flowing into the Saronic Gulf in the middle of Phaleron Bay . Maria Callas Maria Callas Commendatore OMRI (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos ; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977)

4180-554: The vicinity of that of the 5th C. B.C. Ionic temple of Artemis Agrotera, slightly higher up on the same slope of the hill, which is thought to have been called "Agrai". It was here that the goddess was celebrated every year on the anniversary of the Battle of Marathon . The archon in charge would offer goats for sacrifice and the tithe of the sale of war prisoners, while the Athenian youth passed in procession. The importance of this hill

4256-401: The vicinity of the ancient spring of Kallirrhóē , now submerged under Avenue Kallirois. As is the case for many Christian churches in Greece, the church of Aghia Foteini, established in 1872, is built on the ruins of an ancient temple, dedicated to Hecate. Archaeological finds of 2014 identified the ruins of yet another temple, of the 4th Century B.C., dedicated to Zeus, " Μειλίχιον Δία ", in

4332-511: The window or drown yourself." Callas justified her behavior..."They say my family is very short of money. Before God, I say why should they blame me? I feel no guilt and I feel no gratitude. I like to show kindness, but you mustn't expect thanks, because you won't get any. That's the way life is. If some day I need help, I wouldn't expect anything from anybody. When I'm old, nobody is going to worry about me." Callas received her musical education in Athens. Initially, her mother tried to enroll her at

4408-627: The wings while [Callas] was singing and make remarks about her, muttering, laughing, and point their fingers at her". Despite these hostilities, Callas managed to continue and made her debut in a leading role in August 1942 as Tosca, going on to sing the role of Marta in Eugen d'Albert 's Tiefland at the Olympia Theatre. Callas' performance as Marta received glowing reviews. Critic Spanoudi declared Callas "an extremely dynamic artist possessing

4484-435: The words of Alexandra Lalaouni: 'Kalogeropoulou is one of those God-given talents that one can only marvel at.' Following these performances, even Callas' detractors began to refer to her as "The God-Given". Some time later, watching Callas rehearse Beethoven 's Fidelio , rival soprano Anna Remoundou asked a colleague "Could it be that there is something divine and we haven't realized it?" Following Tiefland , Callas sang

4560-461: The years in Greece, and in the prime of her career, it became a matter of great public interest, especially after a 1956 cover story in Time magazine which focused on this relationship and later, by Litsa's book My Daughter Maria Callas (1960). In public, Callas recalls the strained relationship with Litsa on her unhappy childhood spent singing and working at her mother's insistence, saying, My sister

4636-415: Was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti , Bellini , and Rossini , and further to the works of Verdi and Puccini , and in her early career to

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4712-553: Was christened Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos (Greek: Μαρία Άννα Καικιλία Σοφία Καλογεροπούλου ). She was born at Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital (now the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center) on December 2, 1923, to Greek parents, George Kalogeropoulos (c. 1881–1972) and Elmina Evangelia "Litsa", née Demes, originally Dimitriadou (c. 1894–1982). Callas' father had shortened the surname Kalogeropoulos, first to "Kalos" and subsequently to "Callas" to make it more manageable. George and Litsa Callas were an ill-matched couple from

4788-454: Was christened three years later at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in 1926. When Maria was 4, George Callas opened his own pharmacy, settling the family in Manhattan on 192nd Street in Washington Heights , where Callas grew up. Around the age of three, Maria's musical talent began to manifest itself, and after Litsa discovered that her youngest daughter also had a voice, she began pressing "Mary" to sing. Callas later recalled, "I

4864-403: Was due to the Lesser Mysteries, celebrated every year during the month of Anthesterion (February–March) as a form of initiation of the Great Eleusinian Mysteries . The Hill of Agrai extends as far as the Stadion and is known by the name of Ardettos or Helicon. Here there is also the Shrine of the God Pan. This rocky outcrop with a small natural cave and two perpendicular faces was found to have

4940-419: Was engaged to re-open the opera house in Chicago as Turandot , but the company folded before opening. Basso Nicola Rossi-Lemeni , who also was to star in this opera, was aware that Tullio Serafin was looking for a dramatic soprano to cast as La Gioconda at the Arena di Verona . He later recalled the young Callas as being "amazing—so strong physically and spiritually; so certain of her future. I knew in

5016-604: Was engaged to sing the role of Brünnhilde in Die Walküre at the Teatro la Fenice , when Margherita Carosio , who was engaged to sing Elvira in I puritani in the same theatre, fell ill. Unable to find a replacement for Carosio, Serafin told Callas that she would be singing Elvira in six days; when Callas protested that she not only did not know the role, but also had three more Brünnhildes to sing, he told her "I guarantee that you can". Michael Scott's words, "the notion of any one singer embracing music as divergent in its vocal demands as Wagner's Brünnhilde and Bellini's Elvira in

5092-623: Was instrumental in arranging Franco Corelli 's debut at La Scala in 1954, where he sang Licinio in Spontini's La vestale opposite Callas' Julia. The two had sung together for the first time the year previously in Rome in a production of Norma . Anthony Tommasini wrote that Corelli had "earned great respect from the fearsomely demanding Callas, who, in Mr Corelli, finally had someone with whom she could act." The two collaborated several more times at La Scala, singing opposite each other in productions of Fedora (1956), Il pirata (1958) and Poliuto (1960). Their partnership continued throughout

5168-497: Was made to sing when I was only five, and I hated it." George was unhappy with his wife favoring their elder daughter, as well as the pressure put upon young Mary to sing and perform, and Litsa was increasingly embittered with George and his absences and infidelity, and often violently reviled him in front of their children. The marriage continued to deteriorate, and in 1937, Litsa returned to Athens with her two daughters. Callas' relationship with her mother continued to erode during

5244-682: Was mostly bad. In 1957, she told Chicago radio host Norman Ross Jr., "There must be a law against forcing children to perform at an early age. Children should have a wonderful childhood. They should not be given too much responsibility." Biographer Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis  [ el ] says that Litsa's hateful treatment of George in front of their young children led to resentment and dislike on Callas' part. According to both Callas' husband and her close friend Giulietta Simionato , Callas related to them that her mother, who did not work, pressed her to "go out with various men", mainly Italian and German soldiers, to bring home money and food during

5320-425: Was not a contralto , as she had been told, but a dramatic soprano . Subsequently, they began working on raising the tessitura of her voice and to lighten its timbre . Trivella recalled Callas as A model student. Fanatical, uncompromising, dedicated to her studies heart and soul. Her progress was phenomenal. She studied five or six hours a day. ...Within six months, she was singing the most difficult arias in

5396-439: Was really incredible. You need to be familiar with opera to realize the size of her achievement. It was as if someone asked Birgit Nilsson , who is famous for her great Wagnerian voice, to substitute overnight for Beverly Sills , who is one of the great coloratura sopranos of our time." Scott asserts that "Of all the many roles Callas undertook, it is doubtful if any had a more far-reaching effect." This initial foray into

5472-414: Was right. The situation was aggravated by George's philandering and was improved neither by the birth of a daughter, named Yakinthi (later called "Jackie") in 1917, nor the birth of a son, named Vassilis, in 1920. Vassilis's death from meningitis in the summer of 1922 dealt another blow to the marriage. In 1923, after realizing that Litsa was pregnant again, George made the decision to move his family to

5548-409: Was slim and beautiful and friendly, and my mother always preferred her. I was the ugly duckling, fat and clumsy and unpopular. It is a cruel thing to make a child feel ugly and unwanted... I'll never forgive her for taking my childhood away. During all the years I should have been playing and growing up, I was singing or making money. Everything I did for them was mostly good and everything they did to me

5624-405: Was the real bel canto way, where no matter how heavy a voice, it should always be kept light, it should always be worked on in a flexible way, never to weigh it down. It is a method of keeping the voice light and flexible and pushing the instrument into a certain zone where it might not be too large in sound, but penetrating. And teaching the scales, trills, all the bel canto embellishments, which

5700-684: Was then called, as a student for a modest fee. In 1957, Trivella recalled her impression of "Mary, a very plump young girl, wearing big glasses for her myopia": The tone of the voice was warm, lyrical, intense; it swirled and flared like a flame and filled the air with melodious reverberations like a carillon . It was by any standards an amazing phenomenon, or rather it was a great talent that needed control, technical training and strict discipline in order to shine with all its brilliance. Trivella agreed to tutor Callas, completely waiving her tuition fees, but no sooner had Callas started her formal lessons and vocal exercises than Trivella began to feel that Callas

5776-474: Was too fat for Butterfly and did not like the idea of opera in English. Although no written evidence of this offer exists in the Met's records, in a 1958 interview with the New York Post , Johnson confirmed that a contract was offered: "... but she didn't like it—because of the contract, not because of the roles. She was right in turning it down—it was frankly a beginner's contract." In 1946, Callas

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