I am a huge Callas fan and own most of her discography, both commercial and pirate/private. I only bought this collection for 2 arias I did not previously have on other recital/collection discs of hers - the jewel song from Faust and the aria from Alceste (in French).

As an introduction to Callas this CD is as good as any I guess. The liner notes are Bizarre though, linking each aria to Callas's personal life. Weird and pointless. Much more interesting would have been information about Callas relationship to the arias as an artiste. (not as a debutante or a divorcee or whatever... I repeat Weird!)

Anyway, I think to fully appreciate Callas's talent and her legacy, listening to a complete opera rather than a recital or compliation disc is a better idea. The studio recordings obviously have the best sound reproduction but some of the live recordings are terrifically exciting and capture something intangible which the studio does not.

Five suggestions for the Callas novice;

1953 Studio Tosca (careful, not the 1964 version!)
1953 Studio Cavelleria Rusticana (paired wth Pagliacci, a bonus but buy it for Cavelleria)
1955 Live Lucia di Lammermoor (performed in Berlin with Karajan conducting)
1955 Studio Rigoletto (Gobbi in the title role who was as talented a baritone as Callas was soprano. Gobbi is also in the above mentioned Tosca)
Norma - There are two studio versions and about 5 live versions - pick one, any one!

Cheers & Ciao

Over the years there have been verbal wars between those who love Maria Callas and those who love Renata Tebaldi. While I appreciate the voice of Callas, I tend to favor Tebaldi, perhaps because many of her recordings are among the opera I recordings I heard when I became addicted to this wonderful music. Had I first heard a collection such as THE PASSION OF CALLAS, I might think differently. This two CD collection contains Callas in all of her great roles: Tosca, Cio-Cio San, Carmen, and Gioconda to name a few. She is conducted in these excerpts from great conductors such as Karajan, Prete, and perhaps the one who appreciated her gifts most, Tulio Serafin. The excerpts are purely Callas arias with only a few exceptions. There is a variety to the arias, everything from Gluck, the Bel Canto repertoire, Verdi, Puccini, and French favorites too. It also has perhaps the penultimate recording of "Casta Diva" from NORMA, which I believe everyone has to concede, no one does "Casta Diva" like Callas!

The following review will appear in the May issue of OperaOnline.us. The 2 CD collection from EMI contains some of the finest operatic selections of the work of Maria Callas. I highly recommend it. The producers have created a sequence to the music that follows the life of an imaginary character (Callas) from innocent young girl, through growing up, and then as a young adult with an interest in sensual trappings and material things, to the accumulation of wealth and power, and ultimately a transformation into a diva, settled with her life and her artistic achievements, but alone and lonely. Through her songs we follow her growth, her heartbreak, her triumphs and tragedies until in the end we and she come to a final reconciliation with the hand life has dealt. This is the essence of this truly memorable collection of songs and an imaginative way of presenting them in an equally telling story-like manner. There is really nothing to fault here. The recordings are some of the best, the songs selected are enjoyable and descriptive of a moment in time that marks her career, and Callas, is, of course, Callas. Because it is a compilation, we get to hear Callas with a number of different orchestras and studios. The balance is always smooth and even, and the temperament of the music selections presents a consistent theme that allows one's imagination to follow the performer's growth and development at every stage of her career. The first CD is especially thematic and is my favorite because it sets a more romantic mood; the second CD is more passionate and, as the character's life evolves, more emphatic and triumphant in mood - but still a great listen. My favorite selection is from the second side: Verdi's "Tu che te vanita" from Don Carlos, because of its ominous, hanuting and final tone. Callas simply soars when singing this deeply emotional piece.

This new beautiful compilation not only features the divine one's greatest recordings but also a lot of pictures and info on Callas herself. I've reviewed her recordings a lot; this is the VERY best she ever recorded.

What a compilation! Like listening to an enraptured goddess! This is a must for every fan of great singing!