Greatest Hits by Maria Callas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Casta Diva

All these arias stem from the opera "Norma" by Vincenzo Bellini. Norma is the protagonist: a high priestess of the druids of a Celtic tribe. She secretly fell in love with the Roman general Pollione and had two children with him. But now Pollione has broken with her and is enamoured by the young priestess Adalgisa. War between the Celtic tribe and the Romans is about to start, and the druids demand a ritual sacrifice to implore the gods' aid in battle. The crowd has apprehended Pollione and intends to sacrifice him, but Norma (who has to fulfill the deed) can't stab him. In the end, Norma confesses her infidelity and takes on the role of the sacrifice, and as she leaps into a pyre Pollione joins her.

Callas made her debut at Covent Garden in London in 1952, at the Opera of Chicago in 1954, and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1956, all with the role of Norma.

"Casta Diva" ("Chaste Goddess") is the aria in which Norma prays to the moon goddess for help in the war. "Meco all'Altar di Venere" ("With Me at Venus' Altar") is sung by Pollione, describing how he dreamt to meet Adalgisa in Rome at Venus' altar. "Deh! Proteggimi o Dio" ("Oh, Protect Me, O God") is an aria by Adalgisa, who prays to her gods to end her doomed love with Pollione. "In mia man alfin tu sei" ("In My Arms at Last You Are") is the duet between Norma and Pollione, sung just after she refused to sacrifice Pollione.

Answer: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Callas played in at least three of the about forty operas by Gioacchino Rossini. Besides the role of Rosina in "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" ("The Barber of Seville"), she also took up the title role in "Armida" and the role of Donna Fiorilla in "Il Turco in Italia".

In "Il Barbiere di Siviglia", Rosina was a wealthy heiress wooed by Count Almaviva (who disguised himself as the poor student Lindoro). In the aria "Una Voce Poco Fa" ("A Voice a Little While Ago") Rosina mused on a song she heard recently, a serenade performed by Almaviva/Lindoro (although at that time she didn't know his name or alias yet). In this aria originally for mezzo-soprano, Callas reached the very high notes of a true coloratura soprano.

Later in the opera, Rosina showed up for her singing lesson, and Almaviva aka Lindoro had replaced the music teacher - leading up to a marvellous aria in which one character after another joined the singing, up to a quintet.

The most important soprano roles in the red herrings are Myriam in "Mose in Egitto" ("Moses in Egypt"), Mathilde in "Guillaume Tell" ("William Tell") and Ninetta in "La gazza ladra" ("The Thieving Magpie").

Answer: Manon Lescaut

Puccini named several of his operas after the female protagonist. The aria "Sola, perduta, abbandonata" is one of the highlights of "Manon Lescaut", the story of a young woman persuaded by chevalier des Grieux to take up a lustful life, until the nobleman runs out of money and Manon is arrested for prostitution. She is shipped to New Orleans, where she dies from exhaustion shortly after this dramatic song.

Callas sang the other title roles of the aforesaid operas as well.
In "Tosca", Callas' most gripping aria is "Vissi d'arte" ("I've lived for art"), sung just before Tosca killed the lecherous police officer Scarpia.
In "Madame Butterfly", Callas played a Japanese courtesan in love with an American lieutenant - who has decided to leave her and her son. Madame Butterfly in the end commits suicide.
"Turandot" is the name of the Chinese princess who had to marry the first one who solved her three riddles - even if she didn't love him.

Answer: Gaetano Donizetti

Browsing through the career of Maria Callas, I found she specialized in operas by (mostly French and Italian) composers active in the Nineteenth Century. Donizetti (1797-1848) composed "Lucia di Lammermoor", as well as some other operas in which Callas excelled: "Anna Bolena", "L'elisir d'amore", "La figlia del regimento" and "Lucrezia Borgia".

In "Lucia di Lammermoor", Callas played the title role: a Scottish noblewoman who fell in love with Edgardo, the heir of a feuding family. Lucia is instead wed to another nobleman (Arturo). Shortly after the wedding, Edgardo and Enrico (Lucia's brother) fight a duel, which is interrupted by the news that Lucia was overwhelmed by a fit of rage and killed Arturo in the bridal bed.

The aria "Spargi d'amaro pianto" ("Sprinkle with Bitter Tears") is part of the famous mad scene, a very demanding aria in which coloratura sopranos have to reach the highest notes possible. Callas sang this aria as it was written, although many sopranos perform the transposition to a slightly lower register.

Jacopo Peri (1561-1633) was one of the earliest opera composers and is best remembered for "Euridice". Pergolesi (1710-1736) has left us the opera buffa "La serva padrona" as well as the marvellous religious work "Stabat mater". Menotti (1911-2007) was the first to compose an opera solely for television: "Amahl and the Night Visitors", linked to the Christmas season.

Answer: Philine

Callas sang all these roles, but only Philine is not the title role of the respective opera. In "Mignon" the story is about a love triangle between Mignon (a supposed orphan abducted by gypsies), Wilhelm Meister (a student) and Philine. All's well that ends well: in the end Mignon finds her father and she marries Wilhelm Meister to live happily ever after. As to Philine's fate, the libretto contains no clue.

"Aida" (by Giuseppe Verdi) tells the love of a captive Nubian princess for an Egyptian general. "Medea" (by Luigi Cherubini) is the story of Jason's wife who kills their two children in a fit of jealousy. "Suor Angelica" is Puccini's opera about a nun secretly desiring to get in touch again with her wealthy family.

Answer: Dalila

"Samson et Dalila" by Saint-Saens retells the biblical story about Samson, one of Israel's judges, and the Philistine woman Delilah (in French written as Dalila). Delilah had received a vast amount of money to find out the source of Samson' strength. "Printemps qui commence" ("The Spring that Awakes") is the first aria sung by Delilah, as she and a certain number of handmaidens performed a sensual dance, trying to seduce Samson.

As in the Bible, Samson yielded to Delilah's seduction, and (after a few attempts in vain) revealed to her that he believes his strength comes from his long, uncut hair. Delilah then dazed him and had his hair cut. The Philistines captured Samson. After a while he prayed to God to restore his strength, and tore down the temple in which he was held captive.

In Verdi's opera "Nabucco" we encounter Abigaile, the presumed daughter of King Nabuchodonosor. Callas played the role of Abigaile for the first time in 1949.
Salome (daughter of King Herod) is the title character of an opera by Richard Strauss. She danced for King Herod in order to see John the Baptist's head on a silver platter.
Myriam, Moses' elder sister, has an important role in Rossini's opera "Mose in Egitto". In this opera, Myriam led the triumphant choir of the Hebrew women when Moses had led them through the Red Sea, and the pursuing Egyptian troops drowned when trying to cross.

Answer: Alceste

"Alceste" is an opera about Admete, king of Thessaly, and his wife Alceste. When Death comes to fetch Admete, Alceste negotiates with the gods to spare Admete's life - although she has to sacrifice her own life in order to do so. In the end, Alceste is rescued by Heracles, and the Thessalian regal couple lives happily ever after.

"Divinités du Styx" is the gripping prayer by Alceste in which she implores the "Gods of Hell, Masters of Death" to spare Admete and take her life instead.
Callas also sang the title role in "Iphigénie en Tauride" ("Iphigenia in Tauris"). Iphigenia has been miraculously transported to the region Tauris after her father decided to sacrifice her in the hope of obtaining favourable winds. In Tauris, Iphigenia is appointed priestess of Diana, and she has to execute two criminals - one of whom is her brother Orestes.
"La Semiramide riconosciuta" tells about the Queen of Assyria (Semiramis) who was in love with the Indian prince Scifalce, but also was wooed by Sibari, one of her servants. To add to the confusion, Semiramis' brother Mirteo was enamoured by the Bactrian princess Tamiri, who in turn fell in love with Scifalce.
In "La clemenza di Tito", the Roman emperor Titus shows mercy on a couple conspirators against the Roman Empire.

Answer: Marguerite

In the Faust legend which has inspired several opera composers, the main characters are Faust (a zealous student), Marguerite (the woman with whom Faust falls in love) and the Devil (usually named Mephisto or Mefistofele), who promised Faust all he could wish - against payment of Faust's soul. Berlioz, Arrigo Boito and Gounod are just some composers inspired by this legend.

In Gounod's opera, Marguerite finds a box filled with jewels sent to her by an anonymous benefactor (Faust of course, but Marguerite suspects another young man). Marguerite tries on various jewels before the mirror, whilst singing what translates to "Oh, I smile when I behold my beauty in this mirror".

Alas, Gounod's opera has a dramatic end: Marguerite dies in prison accused of adultery, and Mefisto drags Faust to hell while Marguerite's soul ascends to heaven. Most recordings with excerpts from "Faust" consist of the solo arias (including the aforesaid Jewel Song), but in my opinion the trio at the dramatic finale deserves to be included as well.

Sappho, Juliette and Baucis are female title characters of other operas by Gounod. "Sappho" refers to the well-known love poetess from Lesbos, Juliette is a role in Gounod's interpretation of "Romeo et Juliette", and Baucis is mentioned in "Philemon et Baucis" - an aging couple who gladly accept the disguised gods Jupiter and Vulcan as their guests. Because of their hospitality, they receive the gift of eternal youth.

Answer: Carmen

"L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" ("Love is a rebellious bird") is arguably the best known aria sung by the title character "Carmen". Carmen, a gypsy working in a cigarette factory in Spain, uses this song to seduce the men in her life: the corporal Don Jose and the toreador Escamillo. Don Jose asks her hand in marriage, but she wants to flutter free as a bird and seeks Escamillo's company. In the end, Don Jose stabs Carmen to death.

Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" debuted in March 1875, and a few months later Bizet died. Only after the composer's death the opera gained popularity, and is today a standard on the opera repertoire.

Bizet also completed "Les pêcheurs de perles" ("The Pearl Fishers"), about two pearl fishers in love with a priestess vowed to remain a virgin. "Ivan IV" was Bizet's opera about the Russian Czar known in the west as Ivan the Terrible. In "La jolie fille de Perth" ("The Fair Maid of Perth"), another opera by Bizet, Catherine Glover is wooed by the local blacksmith.

Answer: La Traviata

In "La Traviata", Callas played the courtesan Violetta Vallery. Alfredo de Germont, a young bourgeois, fell in love with her, and duelled over her while she lay dying. At the last minute, Alfredo returned, and Violetta died in his arms.

The drinking song "Libiamo ne lieti calici" ("Let's drink from the joyful chalices") is from the first act, when Violetta still enjoyed life at the fullest.

Callas also performed the roles of Gilda in "Rigoletto", Leonora in "Il Trovatore" and Lady Macbeth in "Macbeth", all three being operas by Verdi. All these heroines died too young: Gilda was accidentally stabbed, Leonora took poison, and Lady Macbeth committed suicide off stage (the means are not elaborated upon).