Maria Callas, known as La Divina, is credited with changing the history of opera. Born 100 years ago, she continues to fascinate as a supreme artist, but also as a woman and an icon of style. Her interpretations were as compelling for their dramatic truth as for their musical integrity. Her voice, with its extraordinary range, was as distinctive as her infallible sense for a phrase. Magically shaping and colouring her tone, and making insightful use of each word of the libretto, she brought operatic heroines to vivid life. Warner Classics is the custodian of Maria Callas’s discography, which is centred on the studio recordings that she made for both EMI/Columbia and the Italian label Cetra between 1949 and 1969. Maria Callas’s recordings exemplify the glories of the LP era of the 1950s and 1960s. Each of these two newly compiled vinyl albums celebrates her inspiration and achievement in both the recording studio and in live performance. One side of each album is devoted to studio recordings of arias, the other to live recordings. Maria Callas: La Divina is available in three different forms: on black vinyl and – as a limited edition – on red vinyl or as a picture disc (with a bonus track). It features arias by Puccini, Bizet, Verdi, Catalani, Bellini and Donizetti. 1. Puccini: Tosca – Vissi Darte 2. Bizet: Carmen – Habanera – Lamour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle 3. Puccini: Madama Butterfly – Un Bel Di Vedremo 4. Verdi: Rigoletto – Gualtier Malde! 5. Catalani: La Wally – Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana 6. Bellini: Norma – Casta Diva 7. Verdi: La Traviata – Ah, Forse Luis Che Lanima – Follie Fo 8. Puccini: La Boheme – Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi 9. Donizetti: Anna Bolena – Coppia Iniqua, Lestrema Vendetta 10. Puccini: Gianni Schicchi – O Mio Babbino Caro
