Sophie Cecilia Kalos(Maria Callas)

Maria Callas

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Maria CallasCommendatore OMRI

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic - Wikipedia

 

 

Maria_Callas_in 1958

 

Sophie Cecilia Kalos December 2, 1923 New York City, U.S.	Born
September 16, 1977 (aged 53) Paris, France	Died
Soprano	Occupation
Giovanni Battista Meneghini [it] ​(m. 1949; div. 1959)​	Spouse(s)
Aristotle Onassis (1959–1968)	Partner(s)

 

Maria Callas Commendatore OMRI (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century.

 

Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and, further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina ("the Divine one").

 

Born in Manhattan, New York City, to Greek immigrant parents, she was raised by an overbearing mother who had wanted a son. Maria received her musical education in Greece at age 13 and later established her career in Italy.

 

Forced to deal with the exigencies of 1940s wartime poverty and with near-sightedness that left her nearly blind onstage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career. She notably underwent a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career.

 

The press exulted in publicizing Callas's temperamental behavior, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Although her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her "the Bible of opera" and her influence so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: "Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists."

 

Maria Callas e Meneghini

Giovanni Battista Meneghini (Verona, 11 gennaio 1896 – Desenzano del Garda, 21 gennaio 1981)

 

 

maria-callas-and-onassis

Aristotle Socrates Onassis (Greek: Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975),

 

A diva

A diva (/ˈdiːvə/; Italian: [ˈdiːva]) is the Latin word for a goddess and can also refer to a celebrated female singer; a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and by extension in theatre, cinema and popular music.

If referring to an actress the meaning of diva is closely related to that of prima donna. Diva can also refer to a woman, especially one in show business, with a reputation for being temperamental or demanding.

 

The word entered the English language in the late 19th century. It is derived from the Italian noun diva, a female deity. The plural of the word in English is "divas"; in Italian, dive [ˈdiːve]. The basic sense of the term is goddess, the feminine of the Latin word divus (Italian divo), someone deified after death, or Latin deus, a god.

 

 

a prima donna & a primo uomo

In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna ([ˈpriːma ˈdɔnna]; plural: prime donne; Italian for "first lady") is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given.

Prime donne often had grand off-stage personalities and were seen as demanding of their colleagues. From its original usage in opera, the term has spread in contemporary usage to refer to anyone behaving in a demanding or temperamental fashion or having an inflated view of oneself and a narcissistic attitude.

The prima donna in opera was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano. The corresponding term for the male lead (usually a castrato in the 17th and 18th centuries, later a tenor) is primo uomo. The male lead in an opera.

 

엄마는 성매매 요구, 연인은 강제 성관계…'세기의 디바' 기구한 삶

[중앙일보] 입력 2021.04.13 13:12 수정 2021.04.13 15:36

 

전수진 기자 

마리아 칼라스의 삶을 담은 다큐멘터리 ‘마리아 칼라스: 세기의 디바’의 한 장면. [사진 영화사 진진]

전설적 지휘자 레너드 번스타인이 “오페라 가수의 정석”으로 칭송했던 프리마돈나, 마리아 칼라스(1923~1977). 무대 위에선 화려한 디바였지만 무대 아래에선 기구한 삶을 살았던 그를 조명하는 신간이 화제다. 공개되지 않았던 칼라스의 일기와 지인과 주고받은 편지 등을 토대로 역사학자 린지 스펜스가 6월 1일 출간 예정인 『마리아 칼라스의 숨겨진 삶』을 통해서다. 칼라스는 가난한 그리스계 미국인 이민자 가정에서 태어나 성악가로 일찍 성공했으나 불행했던 결혼생활과 그리스 선박왕과의 비극적 연애사로 잘 알려져 있다. 가디언은 지난 11일(현지시간) “이번 신간은 그동안 알려지지 않았던 칼라스 본인의 생생한 증언을 고통스럽게 전한다”고 전했다.

스펜스 작가는 가디언에 “칼라스는 엄마에 대해 분노의 감정을 가졌는데, 어린 딸에게 (제2차 세계대전 당시 독일) 나치 군에게 성매매라도 해서 돈을 벌어오라고 말했다고 한다”고 말했다. 신간은 또 칼라스가 성악가로서 성공을 거두자 모친이 그에게 “영화배우들은 성공하면 제일 먼저 부모에게 비싼 집과 자동차를 사주는데 너는 어떻게 할 거냐”고 물어왔으며, 딸에 대한 루머를 팔아 돈을 벌었다고 주장했다. 물론 이는 칼라스의 일방적 주장이다. 모녀 관계는 평생 좋지 않았다. 아버지 역시 도움이 못 됐다. 투병 중이라는 거짓말로 딸에게 돈을 받아내려 했다는 주장도 있다. 신간에 따르면 칼라스는 한 편지에서 “내 부모님은 내게 무관심하다”며 “진절머리가 난다”고 적었다.

 

Maria Callas sings "Casta Diva" (Bellini: Norma, Act 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-TwMfgaDC8

불행한 어린 시절의 그림자를 빨리 떨치고 싶어서였을까. 칼라스는 성악 경력을 본격 시작한 이탈리아에 도착한 지 얼마 안 되어 만난 27세 연상의 부유한 사업가 지오반니메네기니의 구애를 받아들여 1949년 결혼한다. 칼라스는 26세, 메네기니는 53세였다. 남편은 칼라스의 매니저 역할을 도맡았다. 신간에 따르면 칼라스는 “남편이 내가 벌어들인 재산을 자신의 명의로 돌리려 한다”고 지인들에게 편지를 썼다고 한다. 그러나 일각에선 그리스계 미국인인 칼라스가 이탈리아에서 성공을 하는 데는 이탈리아인 남편의 조력이 매우 중요했다는 주장도 있다.

한 파티에서 칼라스(가운데)와 남편 메네기니(오른쪽), 오나시스(왼쪽). 어떤 상황인지는 전해지지 않는다. 1950년대로 추정된다. [중앙포토]

이들은 결국 1959년 결혼생활에 마침표를 찍는다. 파경의 그림자는 오랜 기간 드리워져 있었지만, 방아쇠를 당긴 건 칼라스의 외도였다. 1957년 베네치아의 한 파티에서 칼라스는 그리스의 선박왕 아리스토텔레스 오나시스를 만나 사랑에 빠진다.

인디펜던트지의 2011년 기사에 따르면 오나시스는 지인에게 “마리아와 나는 결국 통할 수 밖에 없어, 우린 둘 다 그리스의 피가 흐르니까”라고 말했다고 한다. 오나시스는 그러나 칼라스와 결혼을 하진 않는다. 10년 가까이 이어진 이들의 연애는 비극으로 끝났다. 오나시스가 재클린 케네디 여사와 1968년 결혼하면서다. 칼라스에겐 치명타였다.

재클린 케네디와 오나시스. 지중해 크루즈 여행 도중이다. [중앙포토]

오나시스는 왜 칼라스 아닌 재클린 케네디를 택했을까. 인디펜던트는 “오나시스는 재클린과 결혼하면 미국을 손에 넣을 수 있다고 계산했다”며 “이는 착각이었으며 그는 미국인의 마음을 얻지 못했을 뿐 아니라, 진정으로 사랑했던 칼라스까지 잃어버렸다”고 전했다. 오나시스와 재클린의 결혼 역시 비극이었다. 1년 만에 칼라스는 오나시스의 전화를 받고 다시 밀회를 시작한다.

신간에 따르면 그러나 이 역시 건강한 관계가 못됐다. 스펜스 작가는 가디언에 “요즘 말로 하면 데이트 폭력이라고 할 수 있는 일을 오나시스는 저질렀다”며 “오나시스가 칼라스에게 약을 먹이고 강제로 강간하다시피 했다”고 말했다. 칼라스가 자신의 비서에게 적은 편지에 따른 이야기다. 칼라스는 ”다시는 그(오나시스)의 전화를 받고 싶지 않다“며 “또다시 그가 나를 고문하도록 하고 싶지 않아”라고 적었다고 한다.

칼라스와 오나시스의 즐거운 한때. 다큐멘터리 ‘마리아 칼라스: 세기의 디바’ 중. [영화사 진진]

칼라스는 프랑스 파리의 아파트에서 외롭게 생을 마감했다. 스펜스 작가는 “칼라스의 삶은 비극으로 가득하다”며 “이번 책으로 칼라스에게 자신의 이야기를 직접 전할 수 있는 목소리를 부여하고 싶었다”고 가디언에 말했다.

전수진 기자 chun.sujin@joongang.co.kr

[출처: 중앙일보] 엄마는 성매매 요구, 연인은 강제 성관계…'세기의 디바' 기구한 삶