Sunday, January 2, 2011

Maria Callas Biography: Her Career Starts (1940s)

Callas as Beatrice in Boccaccio
1940 - 21st October
First engagement with the Lyric Theatre company, singing songs in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice at the Royal Theatre in Athens. 

1941 - 21st January
Makes her professional operatic début as Beatrice in Boccaccio at the Palas Cinema, Athens, with the Lyric Theatre company, with whom she will sing in Tosca, Tiefland, Cavalleria rusticana, Fidelio and Der Bettelstudent during the next four years.

Maria Callas's first Tosca


1942 - 27th August
Sings Tosca for the first time in Greek at an open-air performance at the Park Summer Theatre, Klafthmonos Square.

1944
Sings Leonore in Fidelio. The occupying forces lose control over Greece; the British fleet arrives in Piraeus. Maria Kalogeropoulou decides to return to the USA and find her father.

1945 - 3rd August
Gives a ‘farewell’ concert in Athens, her first solo recital, to raise money for her journey to the USA.


1945 - September
Returns to New York and takes up the name of Callas again.

1945 - December
She auditions for the Metropolitan Opera but fails to secure an engagement.

Next: Maria Callas Biography: Difficult Years.