Maria Callas – born Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos on 2nd December 1923 in New York City – was one of the brightest stars of the opera world of the 20th century.
Her career, which was brief by all standards, was an intense rollercoaster, bringing adulation and criticism in almost equal measure. At her best, she was mesmerising, conveying a huge range of emotions through her vocal performances, taking operatic performance standards to a new level. Off stage, her private life was splashed across the press, with her temperamental behaviour grist for the tabloid mill.
Callas’ legacy was immense. She was largely responsible for the revival of interest in bel canto operas by Donizetti, Bellini and Cherubini, and left an enormous recorded catalogue, which, nearly 50 years after her death, keeps her at the top of the list of best-selling classical artists.
2023 marked the centenary of Callas' birth, and in late 2024 we see the release of Pablo Larraín’s biopic Maria, starring Angelina Jolie as 'La Divina'.