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- 1923
- Cecilia
Sofia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos was born in New York from George
ed Evangelia, her Greek parents.
- 1937
- She leaves
America with her mother and sister to return to Greece.
- 1938
- She debuts
in Athens as Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, in
a performance for Conservatory students. She meets Elvira de
Hidalgo, the teacher who did understand Maria's temper and voice
more than any other teacher.
- 1940
- In a
radio broadcast Maria interprets the whole part of Suor Angelica
in Puccini's "Trittico".
- 1942
- Official
debut at Athens Opera on August 27th, as Tosca.
- 1944
- Maria
embarks on the "Stockholm" to return to America, longing
to reencounter her father, whom she hadn't met since 1937.
- 1945-1947
- In New
York, Maria desperately tries to obtain a part. She meets a
greedy "impresario", named Bagarozy, who promits her
to be Turandot in a good number of performances, but everything
vanishes into nothing. She meets Nicola Rossi Lemeni, who introduces
her to an old tenor, Giovanni Zenatello, who is looking for
sopranos able to be Gioconda at Verona's "Arena".
- 1947
- On June
27th she embarks to Italy. On August 2nd she debuts as Gioconda
at Verona's Arena; the conductor is Tullio Serafin. She meets
Giovanni Battista Meneghini, an old entrepreneur who falls in
love with her.
- 1948
- The schedule
becames more and more busy. She sings as Isotta (Tristan und
Isolde - Wagner), Turandot, Leonora (Forza del destino - Verdi),
in Venezia, Genoa, in Rome at Caracalla's Baths. At the end
of the year she debuts as Aida and Norma.
- 1949
- In January
she interprets Brunhilde in Wagner's "Die Walküre",
and only three days later she is Elvira in Bellini's "Puritani".
It's an incredible vocal shift, which will be recorded forever
in Opera history. She marries G.B. Meneghini, ending a situation
that saw her as a concubine.
- 1950
- In march
she accepts to substitute Renata Tebaldi at Milan's La Scala
as Aida.
- 1951
- It's
the 50th anniversary of Verdi's death. To celebrate it, Maria
sings La Traviata at Florence's "Comunale", Il Trovatore
in Naples, Aida at Reggio Calabria, I Vespri Siciliani at Florence's
"Maggio Musicale". La Scala finally opens the gates
to her, and the superintendant Ghiringhelli proposes her to
sing I Vespri, Norma, Mozart's The Rape.
- 1951-1953
- The conquest
of La Scala. Hundreds of performances all around the world.
- 1953
- Maria
sings Medea for the first time, and her "interpretative
fire" is at last recognized by everyone. At Chicago's Lyric
Theatre she sings Norma, Lucia di Lammermoor and Traviata. She
is defined "the greatest soprano in the world".
- 1954
- She starts
the important work with Luchino Visconti, with Spontini's La
Vestale, which opens the 1954-55 season at La Scala.
- 1955
- La Traviata
Callas-Visconti, a real "must". If you are still reading
you can't avoid buying it.
- 1956
- Il Barbiere
di Siviglia at La Scala must be recorded. Fiercely criticized,
even defining Rosina as "rude". By our opinion, that
Rosina is still unequalled. During fall Maria sings Norma at
the Metropolitan, the theatre wich refused her when she was
younger.
- 1957-1958
- Glory
and problems. In April 57 Maria, Gavazzeni and Visconti produce
Donizetti's Anna Bolena after 80 years of oblivion. The critics
were enthusiastic. At a party held for her at Elsa Maxwell's
she meets the greek tycoon Aristotele Onassis. On January 2nd,
1958 she sings Norma at "Opera di Roma" in front of
Italy's President Gronchi, but she feels bad and took lots of
pills to be able to sing. Maria has to quit before the end.
The audience is angry and shouts against her. Shortly after,
a violent quarrel with Rudolph Bing, Met's chief, causes the
end of her presence in that theatre.
- 1959
- Maria
leaves her husband and starts a love affair with Aristotele
Onassis. She is frequently aboard the "Christina",
Onassis' yacht.
- 1961-1962
- Nothing
of musically relevant, lots of buzzing. Medea at La Scala was
the only important exhibition.
- 1963
- Maria
in Paris. On June 5th she sings at the Champes Elysées
Theatre with Georges Prêtre as conductor. It's a triumph.
During that year Maria moves forever to Paris, at first in 44
Avenue Foch.
- 1964
- The most
relevant fact was Tosca at Covent Garden with Zeffirelli. We
could also remember Norma and Tosca at Paris "Opéra".
Each performance is a success, but Maria starts to feel her
voice's decay.
- 1966
- The journalists
are no more so interested in her. She lives in Paris and moves
to her new flat at 36 Avenue Georges Mandel. She spent the summer
on the "Christina", but she was often alone aboard
the immense yacht.
- 1968
- Onassis
marries Kennedy's widow. Maria starts to slip towards the end.
- 1971-1972
- Maria
teaches her precious secrets at Juilliard School students. She
obtains divorce from Commendator Meneghini, exploiting the new
italian law. She reinforces the old friendship with Giuseppe
di Stefano, preparing a triumphal "rentrée"
with him in the more important theatres.
- 1973
- She directs
I Vespri Siciliani inaugurating Turin's Teatro Regio.
- 1977
- Maria
dies, alone in her home at Avenue Georges Mandel, officially
by a heart attack. The only witnesses of her last moments of
life were the midwife and the butler. Her ashes were scattered
in the Aegeus Sea during a storm.
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