Maria Callas as Dalila II

Maria Callas recorded Dalila’s three arias from Saint-Saën’s Samson et Dalila in 1961.

I posted “Printemps qui commence” and “Mon cœur s’ouvre a ta voix” earlier; today’s clip of “Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse” completes the trilogy.

Callas’s magnificent command of language and style and the awe-inspiring range of color she brings to this music speak for themselves.

On YouTube, you can hear this aria “from the original vinyl,” whatever that is supposed to mean. (Whether LP, CD, or what have you, they are all reproductions, no? And compressed to death when uploaded to YouTube, n’est-ce pas?)

Maria Callas as Dalila

Maria Callas recorded “Printemps qui commence ” and two other arias from Saint-Saën’s Samson et Dalila in 1961.

There is little to say about this performance; one simply wonders at its silken, sensuous elegance. Like many, I find it regrettable that Callas did not explore (at least on disc) the rôle of Dalida in its entirety, Berlioz’s Didon and Cassandre, Valentine in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (offered to her by La Scala), and other so-called Falcon rôles.

I posted a few months ago Callas’s recording of “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix.” It was not released until after her death because she struggles to support her lowest phrases. But, again, what a radiantly sexy performance she gives!

By the way, bonne fête nationale to French friends and readers. Vive la France!

Callas as bitch

But for most of us, there are some obvious associations with the word “bitch”: stiletto heels and dark, demimonde eyes…
Elizabeth Wurtzel, Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women