1958: Maria Callas is fired from Scala

On May 4, 1958, the diva Maria Callas left the famous La Scala theater in Milan. A series of scandals cost the then most famous and controversial opera singer in the world the favor of her audience. In the mid-1950s, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala was arguably the most important opera stage in the world. For one reason: the diva, leading lady, Maria Callas.

No other opera singer of the 20th century was so idolized. And at the same time, so hated. The greater his fame, the more unpredictable the soprano became, demanding astronomical fees and despising her colleagues. As his voice began to weaken, from 1956 onwards, he began canceling concerts.

After seven grueling years of working with the superstar, La Scala general director Antonio Ghiringhelli has lost patience. In May 1958, after a series of scandals, he fired the singer. His withering comment: “The Prima-Donne come and go, but Scala remains.”

The beginning of the end was a series of concerts in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. Of the five scheduled performances, Callas missed one and sang poorly in the other four. Nonetheless he asked for understanding: “Artists live like this. One moment you shine and the next you’re no longer so good.”

Succession of crises

His voice, however, was still able to shine in a bar in Venice, in front of the sensationalist American press. Callas, who believed she had no rivals, thought she had overcome this crisis when the next scandal erupted.

In honor of the Italian president, a special evening was organized in Rome with Callas, in which she would perform her favorite opera, Norma, by Vincenzo Bellini. Everyone was waiting for the famous aria, which no one sang better than the diva.

In the middle of the presentation, however, the shock. Maria Callas announced that she could not do it. Outraged, the President of the Italian Republic and his guests suffered the greatest scandal ever seen in the world of opera.

Upon returning to Milan, Callas encountered hatred from her former fans. Her anger was such that, upon returning from the show at La Scala, she found the house stained with excrement. The audience, colleagues and the director of the famous concert hall began to make it clear that she had gone too far.

Love for the stage

Callas turned his back on Milan and began a series of tours in Germany and the United States. His time of glory, however, had already passed. After meeting the billionaire Aristotle Onassis, she left the stage for the international jet-set and began to sing less and less in public.

With Tosca, in 1965 in the French capital, he made his last important performance. Her worst crisis, from which she never recovered, began when she was abandoned by Onassis. In 1977, Maria Callas died at the age of 54, leaving a message to her fans: “Dear public, please understand me as an artist who dedicated her whole life to music. Do not believe the nonsense that is spread on the my account.”

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.