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Last September 16th 2002, into the beautiful
frame offered by the Salone delle Feste in the Bauer Hotel
in Venice, it has been celebrated the 25 years since Maria
Callas misterious'death. This initiative, made by the
Associazione Maria Callas' Presidence, has got a large
following, due also to the presence of famous artistic
and musical personages. The Associazione, leading since
long time ago by Bruno Tosi, has distingueshed itself
in all Europe because of richness of the collecting materials,
the deepness of the intervention on the cultural territory
and the research of an always larger and larger sensitiveness
towards Callas' myth. Especially Bruno Tosi is totally
deserving of any praise because of his long wandering
around the world searching "chicche", or peculiar material
or whatever could be loved and enlarge the knowledge about
Divina Maria Callas.
First special guest celebrating Callas
greatness, through such moving and deep words, was the
famous soprano Rina Kavaibanska. At time of 1961, she
was that very young and lucky soprano that just Callas
directed, in her first and last directing experience,
with Giuseppe Di Stefano, in "I Vespri Siciliani", at
Regio Teatro of Turin. Just during the rehearsals Raina
realized the complete extraordinariness of her director
and musical trainer, always seen with full admired eyes,
and now remembered with regretful sense of full humilty.
The concepts and ideas expressed by the bulgarian soprano'words
have revealed an especial sensibility - not only from
musical, but also from the philosophical and aesthetical
point of view. Kavaibanska declared, causing surprise
in the audience, that Maria Callas'greatness and genius
were into the total technical perfection that was, at
the same time, pure Expression. This expression, performed
on the stage, became Faithfulness and Truth towards the
Art.
Following these passionate words, others confirmations
were given - through the projection of old film excerpt
where Callas, for the first time in Europe, was possible
to see her song "Casta Diva" on Italian Televison. This
and others contributions (the interview given to French
Televion in occasion of her famous concerto with George
Pretre, and her last interview, three months before her
death, given to a young bulgarian journalist for Rai)
caused a deep melancholy into the audience, which was
moved to tears.
She was still alive, there...
Second guest to honour Maria Callas was
the painter Ulisse Martini, who created three very famous
portrait of the Divina; the first is now shown at Fenice,
in Venice, the second at the National Conservatory in
Athens. But the third, last but not least, was there,
in front of the audience, still dominating the scene.
The picture, beautifully painted, was ordered by the famous
Italian director, Franco Zeffirelli. It should be part
of the marvellous set-designing of "Callas Forever", Zeffirelli
latest film, where Fanny Ardant plays as Maria.
During the film Callas-Ardant turns to and speaks to this
portrait- which joins features of one and the other artist.
The final look is certainly a little bit estranging. A
perfect union between Callas who was the true, the real
Callas, so the memory, and the new Callas, the Callas-Ardant,
which we can go, from 20th September, and see to the cinema.
But in the meantime Callas's myth was consecrating in
Venice, in Paris - same hour, different place- the first
world preview of "Callas Forever" was starting.
But undoubtely, the supremacy of novelty
about Maria Callas was held by Venice, because of the
first European preview of "Medea" by PierPaolo Pasolini,
with the incredible and original dubbing by Callas herself,
and not by Liliana Savignone, as always heard.
Before starting the showing, Giorgia Graziano, a young
talented actress, who really adored Maria Callas, and
who writes about the Divina the last work in order to
obtain the final degree, read a poetry , which name is
"L'anello", by PierPaolo Pasolini towards Maria and a
so human and tender letter from Maria herself to PierPaolo
Pasolini.
But "Medea" was a fantastic occasion to give further evidence
of what Callas really was - beyond the stage, beyond the
score, beyond the dress - at the end of her career...
Maria Callas was, and will be "forever" a great, sublime
actress. A woman who was spied by the cruel and omnipotent
cine-camera, a magician that "like a vase, I'm full of
a knowledge not mine". A lacerated, suffered soul-always
extraordinary and totally unrepeatable.
Ladies and Gentleman, Maria Callas.
The Diva, the Divina, the unique and brighting Maria Callas.
Giorgia Graziano.
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