Maria Callas sings about the French Revolution. Maria Callas. Debut performance on stage

All of my life Maria Callas tried to earn someone's love. First - her mother, who was indifferent to her from birth. Then - an influential husband who idolized the artist Callas, but not the woman. And closed this chain Aristotle Onassis, who betrayed the singer for his own selfish interests. She died at 53 empty apartment, without ever becoming truly happy. For the anniversary of the opera diva, AiF.ru talks about the main events and people in the life of Maria Callas.

Unloved daughter

No one was happy about Mary’s birth. The parents dreamed of a son and were sure that all nine months Gospels to Demetrias I was carrying a boy. But on December 2, 1923, an unpleasant surprise awaited them. For the first four days, the mother even refused to look at the newborn. It is not surprising that the girl grew up unloved and terribly complex. All the attention and care went to her older sister, against whom future star looked like a gray mouse. When people saw the plump and shy Maria next to the spectacular Jackie, they could hardly believe in their relationship.

• © Maria Callas with her sister and mother in Greece, 1937. Photo from Wikimedia.org
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  © Tullio Serafin, 1941. Photo by Global Look Press
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  © Maria Callas at the La Scala theater during a performance of Verdi’s opera “Sicilian Vespers”, 1951. Photo from Wikimedia.org
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  © Maria Callas during Vincenzo Bellini's opera La Sonnambula, 1957. Photo from Wikimedia.org
• © American Marshal Stanley Pringle and Maria Callas, 1956
• © Maria Callas as Violetta before the opera La Traviata at the Royal Theater Covent Garden, 1958. Photo from Wikimedia.org
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  © Still from the film “Medea”, 1969
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  © Maria Callas performing in Amsterdam, 1973. Photo from Wikimedia.org
• © Maria Callas, December 1973. Photo from Wikimedia.org
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  © Memorial plate in honor of Maria Callas at the Père Lachaise cemetery. Photo from Wikimedia.org

The singer's parents divorced when she was 13 years old. The father of the family remained to live in America, and the mother and two daughters returned to their historical homeland: Greece. They lived poorly, but it was not so much that upset little Maria as the separation from her dad, whom she missed terribly. Despite the fact that it was difficult for Evangelia to be called a sensitive and caring mother, her career opera diva owes it to her. The woman insisted that youngest daughter entered the conservatory. From the first days of her studies, Callas impressed her teachers; she grasped everything on the fly. She was always the first to arrive in class and the last to leave. By the end of the third trimester, she could speak Italian and French fluently. In 1941, the girl made her debut on the stage of the Athens Opera as Tosca in Puccini's opera of the same name, but the world learned about her a little later: six years later. At the age of 24, the singer performed on the stage of the Arena di Verona in the opera La Gioconda. Here in Italy she met Giovanni Battista Meneghini, a famous industrialist and a passionate opera fan. It is not surprising that from the first minutes he was fascinated by Callas and was ready to throw the whole world at her feet.

Husband and producer

Giovanni Battista Meneghini was older than Maria for 27 years, but this did not stop him from marrying a young singer. The couple walked down the aisle less than a year after they met. The businessman became Callas’s husband and manager rolled into one. For the next ten years, the opera diva and the wealthy industrialist walked through life hand in hand. Of course, Meneghini provided his wife with powerful financial support, which contributed to the already brilliant career Maria. But main secret her demand lay not in her husband’s money, but in her impeccable mastery of technology. Our famous opera singer Elena Obraztsova once said about this: “Callas did not have in a beautiful voice. She had a fantastic singing technique and, most importantly, sang with her heart and soul. She was like a guide from God.” After Verona, the doors of all famous opera houses gradually began to open for the girl. In 1953, the artist signed a contract with the major record company EMI. It was this company that released recordings of operas performed by the singer.

From the very beginning of her career, Maria was quite large. Some ill-wishers and envious people called her fat. Weight problems arose due to Great love to food. Artist's secretary Nadya Stanshaft told about her: “We were setting the table, she came up and innocently asked: “Nadya, what is this?” Can I try a small piece?’ This was followed by another and another. So she practically ate everything that was on the plate. And then I tried it from every plate of everyone sitting at the table. It drove me crazy." Maria's favorite treat was ice cream. It was this dessert that should have ended absolutely every meal of the singer. With such an appetite, Callas had every chance not only to become famous as an opera performer, but also to become the fattest woman in the world, but, fortunately, she stopped in time. While working on the role of Violetta in her beloved La Traviata, the girl lost a lot of weight and became a real beauty, which the famous womanizer could not miss Aristotle Onassis.

Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas. Photo: Frame youtube.com

Traitor

Maria first met the billionaire in the late fifties in Italy, at a party after the performance of Norma. Six months later, the billionaire invited the singer and her husband to ride on his famous yacht “Christina”. By the end of this journey, Callas's marriage to Meneghini was bold point. And this despite the fact that Onassis himself at that time was also in a relationship with Tina Levanos. It was she who caught the newly-made lovers and made their romance public. To get a divorce, the singer renounced her American citizenship and adopted Greek citizenship. “I did it for one reason: I want to be a free woman. According to Greek law, anyone who, after 1946, got married outside of a church is not considered a married person,” Maria told one of the journalists, who during that period of her life became more active than ever.

Unlike the singer's ex-husband, Onassis was indifferent to opera. He did not understand Maria’s desire to sing and more than once suggested that she stop her career. One day she actually stopped going on stage, but not for the sake of Aristotle. This is how the circumstances developed: voice problems, general fatigue, a break in relations with the Metropolitan Opera and leaving La Scala. Has begun new period in her life: bohemian. But he did not make the artist happy. Neither did Aristotle. The businessman needed Callas for his image. The billionaire had no intention of marrying her and even forced her to have an abortion when she became pregnant. Having taken from the singer everything he needed, Onassis successfully found himself a new object of desire: Jacqueline Kennedy. He married the widow of the 35th President of the United States in 1968. Maria learned about what happened from the newspapers. Of course, she was in despair, because she herself dreamed of being in Jacqueline’s place. By the way, after the wedding, the businessman did not stop his meetings with Maria, only now they were secret. And during his honeymoon in London, he called the singer every morning, giving hope for the continuation of the relationship.

The only medicine that could save the diva from depression was work. But by that time, the artist’s voice was no longer the same, so she began to look for new ways of self-realization. First, Maria starred in Pasolini's film Medea, although it was not a box office success. Then she directed an opera production in Turin, and also taught at the Juilliard School in New York. Unfortunately, the singer did not receive satisfaction from all this. Then Callas tried to return to the stage with the famous tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano. The public met creative tandem very warm, but during the tour Maria was dissatisfied with herself, her voice betrayed her, and critics wrote unpleasant things. As a result, the attempt to resume her career also did not make her happier and could not help her forget the betrayal of Aristotle.

At the end of her life, the legendary diva turned into a real recluse and practically never left her Parisian apartment. The circle of those with whom she communicated was sharply reduced. According to one of Callas’s close friends, at that time it was impossible to reach her by phone, as well as arrange a meeting, and this repelled even the most devoted people. On September 16, 1977, the famous opera singer died at about two o'clock in the afternoon from cardiac arrest in her apartment. According to Mary's last will, her body was cremated.

Name greatest opera singer 20th century Maria Callas has always been surrounded by legends. All her life she gave rise to gossip: both when she managed to lose weight from 92 to 64 kg, and she kept her weight loss methods secret, and when, while still married, she went on a sea cruise with a Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis, and when she lost her voice and left the stage, and when she lived out her days in all alone. The death of Maria Callas left no fewer unanswered questions than her life: there was a version that the singer was poisoned, and in order to hide traces of the crime, the body was cremated.

Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulou was an unwanted child - her parents were expecting a boy, and after the birth of her daughter, the mother refused to even look at her for several days. Soon the parents separated, and the mother and daughters returned from America to their homeland, Greece. At the age of 5, Maria began taking piano lessons, and at the age of 8 she began studying vocals. She continued her studies at the conservatory, where experienced teachers immediately recognized her talent.

On big stage Maria made her debut at the Athens theater - she sang a part in Puccini's Tosca. Until the end of the Second World War, she performed in Greece, but real popularity fell on her in 1947, after her appearance at the festival opera art in Verona. Then the famous Italian conductor Tullio Serafin drew attention to her and invited her to the Venice Opera House. In Italy, fate brought the singer together with an opera fan, wealthy industrialist Giovanni Batista Meneghini, who soon became her husband.

Maria Callas's path to success was endless work on herself. Outwardly, she managed to change almost beyond recognition. Maria recorded the results: “Gioconda 92 kg; Aida 87 kg; Norm 80 kg; Medea 78 kg; Lucia 75 kg; Alcesta 65 kg; Elizabeth 64 kg.” At the same time, she never talked about ways to lose weight, which gave rise to various speculations - for example, about surgical intervention.

In 1957, at a ball in Venice, Maria Callas met her fellow countryman, billionaire Aristotle Onassis. This meeting became fatal for her. Aristotle invited her and her husband on a sea cruise on his luxurious yacht Christina. Causing shock among those around her, Maria and Aristotle retired to his apartment.

For the sake of Aristotle, Mary left her husband, but he was in no hurry to divorce his wife. In addition, he deprived her of the opportunity to give birth to a child - the billionaire already had heirs, and he categorically did not want children. Many years later, fate severely punished him for this: his son died in a car accident, and his daughter died from a drug overdose. In the end, Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy, and Maria was left alone. “First I lost weight, then I lost my voice, and now I lost Onassis,” she told reporters besieging her.

The last time Callas appeared on stage was in 1974. After that, she practically did not leave her apartment until her death in 1977. By official version, Maria Callas died of a heart attack. But another version was widespread among her fans. It was said that Maria was poisoned by her pianist Vassa Devetzi. Allegedly, she wanted to take possession of Callas’s property, and for this purpose she protected her from communicating with people, added tranquilizers to her medications, aggravating her depression. However, this version has not been proven. According to Maria's husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini, the singer committed suicide.

Biography of Maria Callas. The Life and Death of Callas, memorable places and dates. Love story with Aristotle Onassis. Opera Singer Quotes, film, photo.

Years of life

born December 2, 1923, died September 16, 1977

Epitaph

Biography of Maria Callas

Biography of Maria Callas is history tragic fate great woman with a unique voice. In Callas's life there were ups and downs, a happy marriage and unhappy love, divine talent and a serious illness that deprived Callas of her voice. The most famous singer last century, which was applauded best halls world, died completely alone, never becoming happy.

Maria Callas was born in New York in 1923. Love to classical music The girl appeared at the age of three. When Maria's mother divorced her father and took both daughters to Athens, the girl entered the Royal music conservatory. They accepted people only from the age of sixteen, so Maria had to lie about her age - she was only fourteen. Just five years later, she already performed her first role in the opera Tosca. After the war, Maria returned to New York, but singing career Callas did not work out in the USA, and soon she left for Italy. There, in Italy, she met her future husband, Giovanni Battista, an industrialist and opera lover. He took his wife's career seriously - Maria lost weight, learned to dress stylishly, and worked hard. Finally, in 1950 she made her debut on the stage of La Scala in Milan. Their family life was developing happily - until the fateful meeting of Callas with Onassis, who discovered new page in the biography of Callas, full of pain, disappointment and loneliness.

At the time Callas met Onassis, he was already fabulously rich. All he needed was fame - and an affair with famous singer Callas was his ticket to the bohemian world. For Maria it was love at first sight, from the first meeting, when Onassis invited her and her husband to his yacht “Christina”, similar to a luxurious floating five-story palace. Maria divorced her husband, and Onassis's wife took the children and left home. But, alas, Onassis was in no hurry to divorce his wife and marry Callas - it was unprofitable for business. Exhausted Mary continued to dream of a wedding with Aristotle for several years. Her voice began to disappear. After another failure, Onassis, in the heat of a quarrel, said to Callas: “You are a nonentity.” But she continued to believe in their love even when Onassis began courting Jacqueline Kennedy. And even after Onassis married Jacqueline, she could not refuse him and continued to receive him in her home.

Cause of death of Maria Callas

Aristotle died in 1975. Maria lived without her lover for another two years - completely alone in her Paris apartment, practically without leaving it. The death of Maria Callas occurred on September 16, 1977 and became a great loss for the entire global music community. Italian doctors were able to establish the most the probable cause of Callas' death was dermatomyositis, a disease of connective tissue and smooth muscle, which deprived Callas of her voice, love, and then her life. There is another, less probable, version of what Callas died from in such a early age(at 54 years old) - according to some reports, the singer could have been poisoned by her close friend.

Funeral of Callas took place three days after Callas's death, she was cremated and buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. Contrary to the singer's wishes, her ashes were scattered over the Aegean Sea, washing the island of Skorpios, where her beloved was buried. Only two years later her will was fulfilled - after Callas's grave was robbed. Until now, famous opera performers, fashion designers, and artists dedicate their creations to memory Callas, an unsurpassed diva with a tragic fate.

Maria's romance with Aristotle played a fatal role in her life

Life line

December 2, 1923 Date of birth of Maria Callas.
1936 Moving from New York to Athens.
1937 Study at the Athens Conservatory.
July 1941 Maria's debut at the Athens Opera as Tosca.
1945 Return to New York.
1947 Debut in the United States on the stage of the Arena di Verona amphitheater.
1949 Marriage to Giovanni Battista Meneghini.
1950 Callas's first performance at La Scala.
1953 Release of recordings of operas with Maria Callas by EMI.
1959 Career turning point, divorce from her husband, beginning of a relationship with Aristotle Onassis.
1969 Filming in the film “Medea” by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini.
September 16, 1977 Date of death of Callas.
September 20, 1977 Funeral of Maria Callas.

Memorable places

1. The Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Center (formerly Flower Hospital), where Callas was born.
2. St. Trinity Cathedral, where Callas was baptized.
3. Athens Conservatory, where Callas studied.
4. Athens Opera, where Maria Callas made her debut.
5. La Scala, where Callas first performed in 1950.
6. Concorde Opéra Paris, where Callas performed.
7. House of Callas in Paris.
8. Greek Orthodox Cathedral named after. St. Stephen, where the farewell liturgy for Callas took place.
9. Père Lachaise cemetery, where Callas is buried.
10. The Aegean Sea, over whose waters Callas’s ashes were scattered in 1979.

Episodes of life

Giovanni Battista was more of a producer and father for Maria than a husband. He invested his money in it as in a successful business project. It was he who insisted that Maria lose weight - at the time they met, she weighed more than 100 kilograms. Losing weight, Maria recorded her achievements: “Gioconda 92 kg; Aida 87 kg; Norm 80 kg; Medea 78 kg; Lucia 75 kg; Alcesta 65 kg; Elizabeth 64 kg.” It is not surprising that she fell in love with Aristotle, who treated her not only as a talented diva, but also as a beautiful woman. Later, Maria blamed Battista: “Where were you looking when my legs gave way?” Battista did not fight for Maria, however, he did not give her a divorce for a long time, until he learned that Aristotle had married Kennedy.

Maria Callas had no children. At first, her husband Giovanni Battista did not allow her to have them, fearing that motherhood would interfere with her career. Callas became pregnant by Onassis when she was 41, she was ready to become a mother, but Aristotle forbade her: “I already have two children, and I don’t need a third.” Persuasion could not break the decision of a loved one, and Callas got rid of the child, which she later regretted all her life. On the day Aristotle married Jacqueline, Mary cursed the marriage: “Pay attention to my words. The gods will be fair. There is justice in the world." Five years later The only son Aristotle died in a car accident.

Maria Callas blamed Aristotle for losing her voice. In one of the letters, she told him: “My voice wanted to warn me that soon I will meet with you and you will destroy both him and me.” The diva's last performance took place on November 11, 1974, after which she returned to her apartment and almost never left it. She was terribly lonely, admitting that it was only when she sang that she felt loved. A year later, when Aristotle died, Mary said: “Nothing matters anymore, because nothing will ever be the same as it was... Without him.”

Maria Callas's grave

Testament, quote

"Love is more important than any artistic triumph."

film "Maria Callas" Brief Video Biography of an Opera Star"

Condolences

"We won't see her like again."
Rudolf Bing, impresario, head of the Metropolitan Opera in 1950-1972.

“Maria Callas had a soprano voice that drove audiences into a frenzy. Her vocal and personal ups and downs were as dramatic and extravagant as the fates of the operatic heroines she played.”
David Lowe, composer

Maria Callas showed the whole world what it means to be a real diva. To this day she remains one of the fundamental figures in modern opera. But while Callas has always been a stunning performer, her voice began to deteriorate when she was still relatively young. The singer's fans and experts continue to find out what really happened to her voice, inspiring and at the same time controversial.

In 1952, Callas was supposed to play the role that would become her most legendary - Norma in Bellini's opera of the same name. The production took place in London's Covent Garden.

Everyone was excitedly anticipating the appearance of Callas in this role. Opera critic John Steane was in the audience. To this day, he remembers the feeling that arose when the singer performed the most complex aria “Casta Diva” - the feeling that she would not “pull out” the highest notes.

« Everyone felt that a miscalculation, the slightest bit of miscalculation - the thread would break and a catastrophe would ensue. This did not happen. But there was literally tension in the air, but at the same time one could feel her absolute confidence in her own absolute talent».

Just a few years earlier in Venice, Callas shocked opera world incredible range of his voice. She performed the role of Brünnhilde in Wagner's opera Die Walküre - an incredibly difficult role that was not easy for her. Then Callas was offered the role of Elvira in Bellini's opera La Puritani. James Jorden, editor of an opera website called Parterre Box, says no one believed Callas, who had the strongest dramatic soprano, will be able to play the role of Elvira.

« It was the complete opposite of her character from Wagner's opera" states Jorden. " He showed a huge vocal range. They also had to sing coloratura - a fast, easy style of performance that is very difficult for dramatic singers. People looked at her and said that she was the most amazing singer in the world. And then no one had heard of her».

Callas's ability to perform such diverse roles was one of the reasons for her incredibly rapid rise to the top of opera Olympus. However musical critic and singing coach Conrad Osborne believes that this contributed to the deterioration of her voice to a certain extent. Callas's vocals were already beginning to fail her when she was about 40 years old - a very young age for an opera singer. This was due to a number of reasons, including rapid weight loss. However, Osbourne also cites lack of technique as one of the reasons the singer lost her voice.

« It is very unusual to combine two styles of performance and continue to push an already wide range beyond some incredible boundaries", he says. " Structural technique is how the voice is balanced and constructed. It is necessary so that the enormous energy that you put into singing is distributed in your voice in a balanced and effective manner. So, if the structural technique is built incorrectly for a voice like Maria Callas, then expect trouble».

But for Callas fans like James Jorden, the diva more than made up for her vocal shortcomings with a fantastic performance. Her ability to find the emotional meaning of a role was simply unsurpassed.

« Her head was unlike any other - that's what made it so amazing" states Jorden. " Sometimes it sounded dull, sometimes it was scary, sometimes it was too harsh on high notes. He was very unusual. But what mattered most was what she did with that voice, how she used it as a means of expression.».

University of South Carolina professor Tim Page says Callas brought a special audacity back to opera: she flirted with the audience, “bullied” them, thereby never letting the audience get bored.

« As an actress, this woman had an incredibly strong dramatic talent, and sometimes there was some kind of heartbreaking melancholy in her voice. I think it made her stand out", Page reports. " When you listen to Maria Callas, it leaves an unforgettable musical impression».
Page recalls Callas's late role as Carmen in Bizet's opera of the same name as an example of achieving dramatic depth.

« Back then she really was this sassy, ​​rebellious gypsy girl", he says. " There was such strength, such ferocity in her - in all previous productions and recordings, in principle, they did not sing like that; rather concentrated on melody. Carmen Callas may not have been all that sweet and melodic, but she was incredibly moving».

According to James Jorden, it is the complexity that makes all the singer’s vocal performances stand out. The spectators who constantly came to her performances were evidence of her magnificent art.

« Every time you see a cultural masterpiece, you notice something new because you yourself are changing too", Jorden smiles. " And with Callas, if you hear just three or four notes sung together, you'll think, “I never heard her sing that!” What a beauty! Just to take those three notes, how elegantly and gracefully she connects them, it shows so much and means so much!” So every time you listen to her music, you hear something new. Something even more sophisticated».

Jorden was a teenager when Callas completed her last tour. The performances were not received very well. But looking back on it now, Jorden regrets not bothering to see her (the singer died in 1977). Because, in the end, there will never be a second Maria Callas.

From left to right: Maria Callas's mother, Maria Callas, her sister and father. 1924

In 1937, together with her mother, she came to her homeland and entered one of the Athens conservatories, the Ethnikon Odeon, with the famous teacher Maria Trivella.

Under her leadership, Callas prepared and performed her first opera role in a student performance - the role of Santuzza in the opera "Honor Rusticana" by P. Mascagni. So significant event happened in 1939, which became a kind of milestone in life future singer. She transferred to another Athens conservatory, the Odeon Afion, in the class of the outstanding coloratura singer Elvira de Hidalgo, who completed her voice polishing and helped Callas become an opera singer.

In 1941, Callas made her debut at the Athens Opera, performing the role of Tosca in Puccini's opera of the same name. Here she worked until 1945, gradually beginning to master leading opera roles.

There was a brilliant “wrongness” in Callas’s voice. In the middle register she had a special muffled, even somewhat compressed timbre. Vocal connoisseurs considered this a drawback, but listeners saw it as a special charm. It is no coincidence that they talked about the magic of her voice, that she captivates the audience with her singing. The singer herself called her voice “dramatic coloratura.”

In 1947, she received her first prestigious contract - she was to sing in Ponchielli's opera La Gioconda at the Arena di Verona, the largest in the world. opera house under open air, where almost everyone performed greatest singers and conductors of the 20th century. The performance was conducted by Tullio Serafin, one of the best conductors Italian opera. And again, a personal meeting determines the fate of the actress. It was on the recommendation of Serafina that Callas was invited to Venice. Here, under his leadership, she performs the title roles in the operas “Turandot” by G. Puccini and “Tristan and Isolde” by R. Wagner.

Maria Callas in Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot"

Maria tirelessly improved not only her voice, but also her figure. I tortured myself with the most severe diet. And she achieved the desired result, having changed virtually beyond recognition. She herself recorded her achievements like this: “Mona Lisa 92 kg; Aida 87 kg; Norma 80 kg; Medea 78 kg; Lucia 75 kg; Alceste 65 kg; Elizabeth 64 kg.” This is how the weight of her heroines melted away with a height of 171 cm.

Maria Callas and Tullio Serafin. 1949

In the very famous theater world - Milan's La Scala - Callas appeared in 1951, performing the role of Helen in Verdi's Sicilian Vespers.

Maria Callas. 1954

It seemed that Callas was living out pieces of his life in opera roles. At the same time, she reflected woman's destiny in general, love and suffering, joy and sadness. Callas's images have always been full of tragedy. Her favorite operas were La Traviata by Verdi and Norma by Bellini, because... their heroines sacrifice themselves to love and thereby cleanse their souls.

Maria Callas in Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata (Violetta)

In 1956, a triumph awaited her in the city where she was born - the Metropolitan Opera specially prepared Callas for her debut new production"Norms" by Bellini. This role, along with Lucia di Lammermoor in Donizetti's opera of the same name, is considered by critics of those years to be highest achievements artists.

Maria Callas in Vincenzo Bellini's opera "Norma". 1956

However, it is not so easy to single out best works in her repertoire. The fact is that Callas approached each of her new games with extreme and even somewhat unusual for opera divas responsibility. The spontaneous method was alien to her. She worked persistently, methodically, with full exertion of spiritual and intellectual strength. She was driven by the desire for perfection, and hence the uncompromising nature of her views, beliefs, and actions. All this led to endless clashes between Callas and theater administrations, entrepreneurs, and sometimes even stage partners.

Maria Callas in Vincenzo Bellini's opera La Sonnambula

For seventeen years, Callas sang almost without sparing herself. She performed about forty parts, performing on stage more than 600 times. In addition, she continuously recorded on records, made special concert recordings, and sang on radio and television.

Maria Callas left the stage in 1965.

In 1947, Maria Callas met wealthy industrialist and opera fan Giovanni Batista Meneghini. The 24-year-old little-known singer and her boyfriend, almost twice her age, became friends, then entered into a creative union, and two years later got married in Florence. Meneghini always played the role of father, friend and manager with Callas, and husband - in the last place. As they would say today, Callas was his super-project, in which he invested profits from his brick factories.

Maria Callas and Giovanni Batista Meneghini

In September 1957, at a ball in Venice, Callas met her fellow countryman, multi-billionaire Aristotle Onassis. Within a few weeks, Onassis invited Callas and her husband to relax on his famous yacht “Christina”. Maria and Ari, in front of the amazed public, without fear of gossip, every now and then retired to the apartment of the owner of the yacht. It seemed that the world had never known such a crazy romance.

Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis. 1960

Callas was truly happy for the first time in her life. She finally fell in love and was absolutely sure that it was mutual. For the first time in her life, she stopped being interested in her career - prestigious and lucrative contracts one after another left her hands. Maria left her husband and moved to Paris, closer to Onassis. For her, only He existed.

In the seventh year of their relationship, Maria had last hope become a mother. She was already 43. But Onassis cruelly and categorically put her before a choice: either he or the child, declaring that he already had heirs. He did not know, and could not know, that fate would take cruel revenge on him - his son would die in a car accident, and a few years later his daughter would die from a drug overdose...

Maria is terrified of losing her Ari and agrees to his terms. Recently, at a Sotheby's auction, among other things, Callas was sold a fur stole, given to her by Onassis after she had an abortion...

The great Callas thought she was worthy great love, but turned out to be another trophy of the world's richest Greek. In 1969, Onassis married a widow American President Jacqueline Kennedy, as reported to Maria through a messenger. On the day of this wedding, America was indignant. "John died a second time!" - screamed the newspaper headlines. And Maria Callas, who desperately begged Aristotle to get married, by and large also died on that day.

In one of her last letters to Onassis, Callas noted: “My voice wanted to warn me that soon I will meet with you, and you will destroy both him and me.” Last time Callas' voice was heard at a concert in Sapporo on November 11, 1974. Returning to Paris after these tours, Callas actually never left her apartment again. Having lost the opportunity to sing, she lost the last threads connecting her with the world. The rays of glory burn out everything around, dooming the star to loneliness. “Only when I sang did I feel loved,” Maria Callas often repeated.

This tragic heroine constantly played fictional roles on stage and, ironically, her life sought to surpass the tragedy of the roles she played in the theater. Callas's most famous role was Medea - a role that seemed specially written for this sensitive and emotionally fickle woman, personifying the tragedy of sacrifice and betrayal. Medea sacrificed everything, including her father, brother and children, for the sake of bail eternal love Jason and the conquest of the Golden Fleece. After such selfless sacrifice, Medea was betrayed by Jason just as Callas was betrayed by her lover, the shipbuilding magnate Aristotle Onassis, after she sacrificed her career, her husband and her creativity. Onassis betrayed his promise to marry and abandoned her child after he lured her into his arms, which brings to mind the fate that befell the fictional Medea. Maria Callas's passionate portrayal of the sorceress was stunningly reminiscent of her own tragedy. She played with such realistic passion that this role became a key role for her on stage and then in film. In fact, Callas's last significant performance was as Medea in the artistically hyped film by Paolo Pasolini.

Maria Callas as Medea

Callas embodied passionate artistry on stage, possessing an incomparable presence as an actress. It made her worldwide famous performer gifted by nature. Her mercurial personality earned her the nicknames Tigress and Cyclone Callas from admiring and sometimes puzzled audiences. Callas took deep psychological significance Medea as her alter ego, as becomes clear from the following lines written just before her last performance in 1961: “I saw Medea the way I felt her: hot, outwardly calm, but very strong. Happy time passed with Jason, now she is torn by suffering and rage."