Though the hologram is lip-synching to state-of-the-art recordings, Callas’ disembodied voice often sounds boxy and lacks full resonance. At one point, the hologram sputtered, disappeared for a second or two and sparked back to life. Apparently even holograms can have their diva moments.
Maria Callas once famously declared: “I don’t need the money, dear. I work for art.”
As the most revered diva of her generation, the soprano known as “La Divina” was known for her scrupulous attention to conveying truth through her performances — so much so that her public regarded Callas as the first Method actor of opera. Her signature role in Puccini’s “Tosca” underscored the point with the show-stopping aria “Vissi d’arte” (“I lived for art”).
And so, what would she would have thought of “Maria Callas in Concert: The Hologram Tour”? If the audience reaction Saturday night at the Civic Opera House served as any indication, she would have been thrilled. Accompanied by members of Lyric Opera Orchestra, led by Irish conductor Eimear Noone, Callas stepped out of the past and back into the hearts of her ardent fans.
formerly Mad Cornish Projectionist.