| To many people, Maria Callas was the greatest opera singer of all time. The height of her career spanned twenty years from 1947.
After this her vocal powers became weaker and she appeared infrequently. At the height of her career she was undoubtedly the finest singing actress of her time. She was a perfectionist and made great demands on others, earning herself a reputation for being difficult to work with. Maria Callas made many films, broadcasts and records which helped to establish her stardom. 'La Divina' as she was called, was among the most famous of 20th century performers. |
| She was best known for her performances in the bel canto repertory
and in addition to her roles in the familiar works of Verdi and Puccini, she was instrumental in reawakening interest
in the operas of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. She had a reputation for being temperamental and her private life was the subject of much media attention. In 1949 she married an Italian Industrialist, after which she was often billed as Maria Meneghini Callas. The marriage lasted for about 10 years and she went on to have a very public and ultimately unhappy love affair with the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. When Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy, Maria Callas became reclusive. She died of a heart attack in 1977. |
