Maria Callas

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR • BERLIN 1955

In May 2022, while working in the RBB archives, we discovered the original tapes of this legendary 1955 recording - undoubtedly one of the most important operatic testimonies of the 20th century: Lucia di Lammermoor, recorded in concert on September 29, 1955 at the Städtische Oper Berlin, featuring Di Stefano, Panerai, von Karajan and Callas.

Although we note that the first few bars of Tape No. 1 have deteriorated, the minutes that follow reveal a richness of timbre and dynamics incomparable with the editions known to date.

Four months of painstaking work were necessary to restore the full brilliance of the orchestra, the La Scala Chorus and the legendary voices of this moving piece of history and music.

We were delighted to be able to present our first vinyl edition, limited to 5,000 copies, to mark the centenary of Maria Callas' birth.

We would like to thank the RBB for its confidence, and the Maria Callas Endowment Fund and Mr. Tom Volf for their support and the photos accompanying the booklet.

Frédéric D'Oria-Nicolas
Founder and Director of The Lost Recordings


Maria Callas declared that she "hated" studios, and that only concert recordings could convey the full extent of her talent. During the last years of her life, she collected her own concert recordings (often pirate recordings) and listened to them. The best account comes from Robert Sutherland - her pianist, during Callas' last tour in 1973-74. This is how he recalls evenings spent in Maria Callas's Paris apartment on Avenue Georges Mandel:
"We listened to a pirate recording of Berlin's Lucia. She remembered how Karajan had enraged the soloists by drinking the sextet during the performance, without warning them. As we listened to the second version they had given, she said: "You can hear how angry I was! And I still had the air of madness to sing! At the dinner afterwards, I told Karajan that he'd never do it again, or he'd be in trouble!" Then came the aria in question - a prodigious interpretation. She was clearly impressed herself. "I don't know how I did it. I just don't know how - and to think I cried after my performance because I thought I was so far from my ideal." I struggled to find the right words: such a combination of technical mastery and artistic imagination was simply genius. I tried myself with a "That's wonderful..." "Wonderful? Wonderful?" she retorted, straightening up on the sofa - "It's not wonderful, it's simply miraculous!"

In those days, pirate recordings circulated among passionate admirers in the form of more or less hand-crafted LPs, such as those issued by the BJR label, which is probably the one Callas was listening to that evening with Robert Sutherland. Today, however, we must congratulate Frédéric D'Oria-Nicolas and The Lost Recordings for having tracked down the original tapes in Berlin and meticulously restored them to a sound quality that surpasses all previous versions, giving us the most authentic interpretation of this piece of history. It is therefore only natural that the Maria Callas Endowment Fund should be associated with this publication, providing texts and images to illustrate the booklet and honor the memory of Maria Callas through this magnificent edition celebrating her 100th birthday.

Tom Volf
President of the Maria Callas Endowment Fund