02 / Iconography
In pictures
For the centenary of Maria Callas, the Maria Callas Endowment Fund entrusts Tom Volf, its president, with the cinematographic restoration of a historical document: the film of the recital given by the diva at the Opéra Garnier on December 19, 1958,…
For the centenary of Maria Callas, the Maria Callas Endowment Fund entrusts Tom Volf, its president, with the cinematographic restoration of a historical document: the film of the recital given by the diva at the Opéra Garnier on December 19, 1958, her first concert in Paris. Restored from 16mm reels recently found in the archives – and a new sound source unearthed – the film is brought back in color, in 4K Ultra HD, with Dolby Atmos surround sound. Having its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival in October 2023, Callas: Paris 1958 is released on November 5 in 850 cinemas across 60 territories, distributed by Piece of Magic Entertainment internationally and by Pathé Live in France.
The recital, given for one evening for the benefit of the Legion of Honor and broadcast on Eurovision, will remain as one of the social and artistic peaks of the 20th century in Paris. All of Paris attended: President René Coty, Jean Cocteau, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Charlie Chaplin, Brigitte Bardot. Callas wore jewelry estimated at a million dollars. The concert opened with “Casta diva” by Norma ; extracts from Trouvère (Verdi) and The Barber of Seville (Rossini), then Act II of Tosca entirely staged with Tito Gobbi as Scarpia, under the direction of Georges Sebastian.
The word Diva comes from Divine. Maria Callas had that something.
The Parisian recital of December 1958 was, for Callas, a return. At the beginning of the same year, on January 2, she had to interrupt Norma at the Rome Opera after Act I, struck by aphony in front of a prestigious audience including Italian President Giovanni Gronchi. The incident triggered a scandal of rare violence. In Paris, eleven months later, she opened her recital with “Casta diva” — the very aria that had to be interrupted in Rome. The gesture was deliberate: revenge in grace.
The evening unfolded in two stages. A first part in recital, where Callas continues extracts from Norma, of Trouvère (Verdi) and The Barber of Seville (Rossini), alongside Jacques Mars, Albert Lance and the Paris Opera Orchestra conducted by Georges Sebastian. A second part, even rarer, where she performs Act II of Tosca entirely staged, in scenery and costumes, opposite Tito Gobbi's masterful Scarpia.
The film of that evening — the first television recording ever made from the Palais Garnier — has survived in several 16mm copies. Two years of work were necessary to move from this material to the restored version: image digitized, calibrated, brought back to color based on the photographs taken during the evening; sound remastered in Dolby Atmos surround from a recently unearthed sound source. The result is supported by the Maria Callas Endowment Fund, founded in 2017 by Georges Prêtre, Tom Volf and several relatives of the singer, whose mission is to preserve and transmit her heritage — with a view to opening a Maria Callas Museum in Paris.
The ultimate goal, for Tom Volf, is to make people forget about the restoration itself: “I hope that when people watch the film, people just enjoy Maria Callas. »
In 2021, Tom Volf finds in a cellar in Athens the original 16 mm reels of the historic recital given by Maria Callas on December 19, 1958 at the Palais Garnier, as well as a new sound source. Two years of complete restoration then begin.
Present at the recital on December 19, 1958: President René Coty, Jean Cocteau, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Charlie Chaplin, Brigitte Bardot — among others.
Official website : mariacallas.film
“After two years of a labor of love with sweat & tears, overcoming many challenges & obstacles, making this Miracle come true — a true celebration of Callas for her 100th anniversary. »
Tom Volf, November 2023
December 2 & 3, 2023
On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Maria Callas (Athens, December 2, 1923), the film Callas, Paris 1958 is presented in world premiere exclusively in cinemas on December 2, 2023. Release carried by Pathé Live, accompanied by a special event at theOpéra National de Paris around the reels found from the recital given by Callas at the Palais Garnier on December 19, 1958.
This heritage projection is also an opportunity to present to the public the work of the Maria Callas Endowment Fund, of which Tom Volf is president. France Musique devotes an 11-minute broadcast to the event, highlighting the restoration process and the coherence of the Callas journey carried by Tom Volf — from the film Maria by Callas (2017) to Callas Paris 1958 (2023) through the show Letters & Memoirs (2019).
Official program of the evening
Article by Philippe Venturini (Classica, December 2023) on the Maria Callas Endowment Fund, accompanied by the official poster Callas, Paris 1958.
Maria Callas' legendary concert comes to the cinema.
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A new documentary on the singer's legendary recital.