Callas in Louise

Spinning off Callas in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, let’s stay with French opera and listen to her in a rôle that she never sang on stage: Louise, from Gustave Charpentier’s opera of the same name.

This performance from December 1954 marked the first time that Callas sang in public in French (at least during her “big,” post-1947 career). Her command of the language and style were stunningly fine. Yes, the climactic high note is unsteady, but that is often the case in this aria and not, I think, a sign of vocal trouble particular to Callas.

(American singers have done well by this aria, and performances by Dorothy Maynor and Beverly Sills are also lovely.)

Bon week-end à tous !