Maria Callas Behind the Scenes - Single

These three outtakes are from early-1960s studio recordings, made when Maria Callas was at the height of her vocal maturity. Two bel canto arias (recorded in Paris and London) reveal her quietly thanking the orchestra (amid applause from the musicians) and, after delivering a dazzling climax to an aria from Bellini’s Il pirata, playfully teasing her colleagues about another take. An extract from Massenet’s Manon conducted by Georges Prêtre, her great collaborator in French repertoire, shows her working on equal terms with an artist she respected. It’s a Callas far removed from the public image: a singer who brought an undiminished dramatic intensity to her work off the stage, but whose quest for perfection was rooted in supreme professionalism.