Callas at Juilliard: The Master Classes / By: John Ardoin / Paperback

ISBN: 9781574670424 / 978-1574670424

Maria Callas in class with accompanist Eugene Kohn and student Sheila Nadler. Photo copyright 01972, 1998 by Beth Bergman.

MARIA CALLAS, the great singing actress, returned to the stage in 1971 to teach master classes at Juilliard. A quarter-century later this intriguing forum inspired Terrence McNally's acclaimed play Master Class. Outspoken in her artistic beliefs, uncompromising in the musical understanding that she sought to communicate to twenty-five fortunate students, Callas worked through her legendary arias from Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, and others.

Today the celebrated master classes of Maria Callas remain an important part of her legacy. John Ardoin's brilliant transcription, returned to print in this volume, captures the insights of a supremely self-aware artist of impeccable musicianship. In detailed commentaries on seventy-five arias, she talks and sings her way through famous passages of Norma, Violetta, Mimì, and other heroines, not as the imperious diva of her reputation but as a thoughtful artist passing on a great tradition. The intensity that she brought to her roles derived from the clear artistic insight she demonstrates here. With hundreds of music examples, Callas at Juilliard is a truly invaluable resource for every young singer and serious opera lover, and for all those who must have Callas in her own words.

Front cover portrait of Maria Callas courtesy Richard Horneman. Copyright ©1997 by Christian Steiner.