Maria Callas, The Legend Who Lived for Her Art: 30-Year Anniversary
Series: NPR Music: In Memorium
From: NPR Music
Length: 00:04:25
(Available for free to NPR member stations.
If you're not an NPR member station, contact programservices@npr.org)
Opera star Maria Callas died 30 years ago Sunday. But you'd hardly know she was gone, judging from the stream of CDs flowing from her record company. There's even a new 70-CD box set out this month to commemorate the soprano's passing.
All of the reissued music is a testament to an artist who lived, and possibly even died, for her art.
(See 'Website' for more text plus extra video and audio.)
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Piece Description
(Available for free to NPR member stations. If you're not an NPR member station, contact programservices@npr.org) Opera star Maria Callas died 30 years ago Sunday. But you'd hardly know she was gone, judging from the stream of CDs flowing from her record company. There's even a new 70-CD box set out this month to commemorate the soprano's passing. All of the reissued music is a testament to an artist who lived, and possibly even died, for her art. (See 'Website' for more text plus extra video and audio.)
Broadcast History
Originally broadcast on Weekend Edition Sunday Sept. 16, 2007.
David Srebnik
Posted on September 19, 2007 at 11:28 AM | Permalink
Review of Maria Callas, The Legend Who Lived for Her Art: 30-Year Anniversary
NPR's Tom Huizenga has done a good job painting a brief but fulfilling portrait of singer Maria Callas and her life on and off the stage. Of great importance and appeal, this 4:25 feature is absent the standard foaming at the mouth fawning that accompanies 9 out of 10 Callas testimonies and tributes.
With its music to talk ratio, pleasing music mix and flow, this piece works during your evening and weekend classical music programming. With proper placement and promotion, it could also work during midday or afternoon classical music dayparts.
There is an anniversary time peg to the piece, but the subject matter and content provide more than enough appeal and interest to credibly stretch that broadcast window as needed.