Callas Unica

9781592090303

1592090303

Callas: not a legend but the legend! Whether adored or loathed Maria Callas has never left anyone indifferent. To tell the Callas story in detail, Jean-Jacques Hanine-Roussel has brought together nearly 400 photos from over 100 different collections. More that 250 of the photos featured in book has never been seen before. While some are drawn from the archives of the leading opera companies where the Diva performed, many of the illustrations came from the private collections of family and friends. It is some of these candid photographs that reveal how Callas' weight problems and alcoholism affected her life. As background, the author has also provided a 14-page biography and commentaries by four of her greatest colleagues. However, it is its emphasis on the visual which gives this book its true importance by illustrating the extent to which Callas' superior voice was matched by her great beauty and theatricality.