I was hestant about purchasing this recording due to the low price. But this is really a great buy: A six disc compillation of Maria Callas' highlights grouped by genre/composer. If you are new to opera, this is an excellent introduction to what made Callas so unique as an artist: her passion, her ability to change her timbre, the weight of her voice, her vocal colors, to suit each role. Each disc feautres a different composer or repetoire so the listener gets to hear Callas in a differnt context. Since there are about a million "best of" complillations for Callas it's a bit overwhelming and difficult to know where to start. This is definately the most complete, and the best value for your money.

When I looked at the contents of this 6 CD set in relation to the price, I thought there must be a catch. Perhaps the sound quality would be poor or there would be some other defect. But it was cheap enough, so I took a chance. Having purchased it and listened to most of it, I was pleasantly surprized. Sounds great and there are no defects which i have noticed. Of course, there is no need for me to recommend Callas herself. For anyone who knows or cares about Italian opera, or great art, for that matter, there in none to compare with Callas. Even if you are already a fan and have many of the selections on previous CDs (This appears to be all re-issued material.), I recommend buying this one. The tracks are very nicely arranged. Having a CD devoted just to Bellini (CD 1) and others just for Verdi (CD 3) or Puccini (CD 4) is really a good thing. Considering how inexpensive this set is, even if you had all the tracks already, it would not be worth the trouble to burn similar CDs yourself. If you are new to Callas, buy this set and, if her greatness is not lost on you (as it is, strangely, with some) you will get more than a small glimpse into her genius and the richness of her recorded legacy.

A six CD set at this price is unbelievable! If you are a beginner, start here and if you are a long time fan and have every recording under the sun like I do, it's still nice to have the CD's grouped by composer. Highly recommended!

EMI's spate of Callas re-issues and compilations in the past few years is more distressing than commendable. First, what does it say about the state of the classical music market today, when a label's marquee artist is a soprano who passed away thirty years ago, and whose recordings are a half-century old? Second, just how many ways can you re-package Callas?

Those quandaries aside, this is highly recommended to those with a passing interest in either Callas, or opera in general. With six discs tucked inside a standard double jewel case, offered at a bargain price, it's a no-brainer. So what if linear and biographical notes are missing? So much has been written about Callas, it's doubtful that anyone could come up with original essay about her life and artistic legacy.

Again, if you have no Callas or (gasp!) no opera in your CD collection, BUY THIS COMPILATION. However, those of us who already have both will find some glaring omissions.

In my mind, there are two pitfalls where a six-disc Callas retrospective is concerned. First, the need to achieve a balance in Maria's studio output produces something of a constraint. For example, there could have easily been two Verdi discs. As previously noted, Sempre Libera is missing. But there are other examples, such as Ernani, Involami, Tu Che Le Vanita(!), and arias from Nabucco.

Second, creating a balanced list of 100 Maria Callas excerpts inevitably includes some that expose her improper technique. Now, as rival diva Leyla Gencer once stated, Callas had the "sacred fire," which compensated for her imperfect techique (I'm paraphrasing here). That fire roars with life when it comes to dramatic verismo arias, such as La Mamma Morta, Voi Lo Sapete, and Suicidio. It doesn't crackle when it comes a Mozart aria like Or Sai Chi L'Onore, where her utter lack of Mozartean technique is laid bare. Callas just couldn't work her magic over it, like she did with Mi Tradi Quell'alma Ingrata.

These are minor quibbles, though, in the final analysis. You get double the content of the Callas La Divina collector's box set, for less than half the cost!

This is realy Maria Callas 100 best classics collection, surprisingly with very good sound ,without any noise or distortion .Six CDs, each of them 70 -79 min very enjoyable..Thank you EMI for this grate production...