Callas on Film

This very rare documentary produced for French television in the 1970s is probably the most comprehensive examination of the artistry of Maria Callas. Director Alain Ferrari speaks with an impressive array of witnesses to the diva’s work and her daily life, including Giuseppe di Stefano, Jon Vickers, Carlo Maria Giulini, and even Franco Zeffirelli, along with a moving account from Callas’s teacher Elvira de Hidalgo of the singer’s complicated personality.

Exploring Callas’s full range, this program with the NDR Sinfonieorchester and conductor Nicolas Rescigno brings us from the comedy of Rossini’s Il barbiere through the dark, dramatic tones of Verdi’s Lady Macbeth and the bel canto splendors of Spontini’s La Vestale and Bellini’s Il Pirata. Opera News features editor Brian Kellow will then lead a panel, including Martina Arroyo, Ira Siff, and Stephen Wadsworth, in conversation about Callas’s unique artistry and place among the great singers of the 20th century.