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To love music is to know more than songs. It is learn of the
heartache and sacrifice artists endure for their craft. From rock
stars to folk heroes to classical sopranos, musicians can relate to
the same life story vignettes: the rise from obscurity, the lure of
fame, the terrible demands of one’s own stature and the betrayal
that comes with the fading of one’s fame. It’s time to know the
life and times of Maria Callas.
Philippine Opera Company’s Master Class
starring Cherrie Gil will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, RCBC
Plaza on October 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 8 p.m.
Though the play is all about music and
musicians, it is not a musicale. Instead, the Tony Award-winning
play reveals what it takes to be a great musician through a master
class by none other than Callas herself.
Maria Callas was a Greek-American soprano and
perhaps the best-known opera singer of the post-World War II period
to the present. She combined an impeccable bel canto technique with
great dramatic gifts, making her the most famous singing actress of
the era.
Greatly admired by many opera fans, disliked by
others, Callas was a controversial artist. Her supporters called her
“La Divina” and raved about the dramatic intensity and ravishing
portrayals she brought to the opera stage. Callas’ detractors
believed that she regularly pushed her voice beyond its natural
limits, achieving her dramatic effect at the expense of beauty of
tone.
In 1969 the Italian filmaker Pasolini cast
Callas in her only non-operatic acting role, playing the legendary
greek sorceress Medea. Unfortunately the film was not a success in
any commercial sense, but is nevertheless as cinematically
interesting as any Pasolini film. Callas’ only film appearance
offers clear evidence of her legendary and charismatic stage
presence: her ability to hold an audience’s attention while
standing still, revealing an economy of gesture and movement that
makes her stand apart from most other opera performers.
From October 1971 to March 1972, Callas gave a
series of master classes at the Juilliard School in New York before
a full house of students and spectators. These classes later formed
the basis of Terrence McNally’s 1995 play Master Class.
For details, call 892-8786, 891-9999 or visit
www.philippineoperacompany.com.
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