Fanspot
Odeon of Herod Atticus
“Could it be that there is something divine about her and we haven’t realized it?”
Maria Callas’ rival, Réna Vlachopoúlou, during the rehearsal of the opera Fidelio in 1944. Interview by Nicolas Petsalis-Diomidis in his book The Unknown Callas: The Greek Years published in 2001.
Born in 1923 in New York, Sophia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos, aka Maria Callas, lived with her parents in an apartment in Astoria, Queens. Her mother quickly spotted a unique tinge in her voice, although she saw her as an “ugly duckling”. When she sings in her school or in competitions, the young Maria is acclaimed.
Racked by her failed marriage, the matriarch puts all her ambition on her daughter. When she separated from her husband in 1937, she returned to Greece with her two daughters. Pushing the young Maria, barely 13 years old, to enroll in the National Conservatory, her mother lies about her age and manages to get her into the institution. Maria Callas worked ever harder to perfect her already prodigious voice.
After several small shows, she started to play second roles at the National Opera of Greece. She soon became Tosca in the opera of the same name in 1942, then Marta in Eugen d’Albert’s Tiefland. The critics are unanimous: the artist’s lyrical gifts are a blessing.
In 1944, Maria Callas attended a venue that propelled her to the pinnacle of her national career: the Odeon of Herod Atticus. O Protomastoras and Fidelio made the young singer a star. Even his detractors claim that his voice is “a gift from heaven”. Following this undeniable success, the singer gave 56 performances throughout Greece in less than a year.
However, she ended her adventure in 1945, after being pressured by her mother to perform for Nazi soldiers and to prostitute herself for some of them. Maria Callas decided to return to the United States to her father, the ultimate affront to her mother, who had been marked by her marriage to a “worthless” man.
But the diva will never forget her beginnings in Greece, which led to her rise to international stardom and outstanding singer. An exceptional voice, revealed to the world in the legendary ancient Greek theatre.
Between October 1944 and September 1945, Maria Callas performed performed 56 times in seven seven different operas.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Located at the foot of the Acropolis, the Odeon of Herod Atticus is a theater built in 161 by Herod Atticus, a Greek philanthropist, in memory of his late wife, Regilla, who died a year earlier.
With an external diameter of 285 ft, the huge performance site could accommodate 5,000 spectators on numerous tiers. Originally, it was covered with an imposing beechwood ceiling, marble walls and multiple statues were nestled behind the stage. Today, the theater looks like a ruin but still hosts multiple events such as concerts, the 1973 Miss Universe election and the Athens Festival.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Cult! music: 100 mythical music places [French Edition]
Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists!
Head to Melbourne, Australia for a stroll along AC/DC Lane before crossing the iconic Abbey Road pedestrian crossing in the company of The Beatles. Visit Janis Joplin‘s home in San Francisco and find out how Johnny Cash ended up playing his greatest hits to a crowd of prisoners in San Quentin. Travel the winding roads of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and stop in Japan to catch up with Deep Purple, Phil Collins and Daft Punk. Drive down the Tina Turner Highway before entering some of the most legendary studios in music history. Go back to the troubled origins of Billie Holiday and make a pact with Robert Johnson at the famous crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists! Relive the Jimi Hendrix concert on the Isle of Wight before paying tribute to Bob Marley in Jamaica.
Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! musictells the secrets of the places that made the history of music.
Content quality
Interest for fans
Value for money
Discover all the places Fidelio on our map
By Damien Duarte
Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !