Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013 - (Page 128)

maria callas R I T Z PA R I S , F E B R U A RY 1 9 6 0 Opera was the theme, the calling and the lifeblood of Maria Callas’ life. The most celebrated opera singer of the 20th century had, by 1960, triumphed on every stage that mattered. Though her massive voice still divided the critics — they pointed to a thickness of tone, a wobbliness in the upper register — the physicality of her performances and the volcanic passions she evoked ignited a fever that spread far beyond the clubby world of opera. The story of the poor Greek girl who had arrived in America with $100 and a will to match her outsized talent had become a fable; its dark side was that, with success, her whole life became a popular opera — one in which she was, inevitably, cast as the archetypal diva. This reputation was cemented in late 1959 when she filed for divorce from her longterm husband (and manager) to pursue her 128 W W W. R I T Z C A R LT O N . C O M love affair with the equally married shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. It was a whirlwind courtship, conducted on his legendary yacht The Christina, with a supporting cast that included Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo, Ava Gardner, Prince Rainier and the Aga Khan. Callas, now 36, had dreams of marriage and family, a respite from the globe-trotting life of an opera singer. “I don’t want to sing anymore,” she told an interviewer. “I want to live, just like a normal woman, with children, a home, a dog.” Passing through Paris in February 1960, she started looking at châteaux in the Loire Valley. But it was not to be. Though the love affair would last eight more years, before Onassis left her for Jacqueline Kennedy, it brought neither stability nor family. What did prove true was that it would signal the end of her astonishing career as a singer. Opera buffs still debate whether Onassis was the cause or it was the unavoidable result of the stresses she had placed on her voice, but after 1960, Maria Callas would only sing three more roles onstage. IV COLLECTION/MPTV IMAGES, DREAMSTIME H E R I TA G E http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013
Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
President’s Letter
Falling in Love With … New Orleans
Design
Technology
On the Boulevards
Shopping
Jewelry
Watches
Family
Local Knowledge
Sports
Cancun
Doha
Fashion
Culinary
Let Us Stay with You
Heritage

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013