MARIA ONCE AGAIN I fell under Maria Callas’ “spell” very early in my teens which coincided with the conclusion of her performing career. It was a time long before she was the legend that she is today. In fact, at that time (late 50’s early 60’s) for a person to even state in public that they liked (or in my case adored) Maria Callas put that person at risk of receiving a lot of ridicule which could very easily turn to scorn. At the time, she was either loved or hated. I’m afraid that during my teen years I,…

A “Must Have” This is a stunning performance of Verdi’s early masterpiece that is marred by unsatisfactory sound. Despite that bad sound, however, I found the performance so overwhelming that any lover of this work would want to have it. The young Maria Callas sung the role of Lady Macbeth as a hot fury of a woman, while Enzo Mascherini sang Macbeth as a cowardly man eaten up by ambition. This was not a subtle performance that was givin live at La Scalla in 1952, but it was an overwhelming one. And despite…