What the Upcoming Angelina Jolie Biopic Gets Wrong About Maria Callas: Biographer Weighs In

NEW YORK — In the painstakingly researched account of the life of Maria Callas, The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography, highly regarded classical music critic and devoted Callas biographer Sophia Lambton shares the “real” Maria Callas with the world while correcting many widely held misconceptions about the opera star. For instance, Callas was not a diva, Lambton explains, but a perfectionist who always came to rehearsals early, worked even when La Scala went on strike, and was often described by her close friends as "down to earth."“Maria Callas has been inaccurately portrayed as a self-sacrificing (for men) operatic heroine when she was stubbornly independent and did what needed to be done for her art,” Lambton said. “This is especially relevant considering the upcoming release of the movie Maria starring Angelina Jolie. It gets many things wrong about Callas.”Aspects of Callas’ life that Lambton says are often misrepresented include:• Callas dumped Aristotle Onassis three months before he married Jacqueline Kennedy.

• Callas did not cheat on her husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini with Onassis. Meneghini left her when she insisted on independently managing her operatic career.

• Onassis was not abusive but implemented multiple efforts to help Callas’ career.

• Callas did not abandon her art for love but suffered several health conditions that had adverse effects on her voice.Lambton spent 12 years meticulously researching thousands of sources spanning 80 years and 21 countries. Featured in the book are never-before-published letters between Callas and her manager as well as notes taken during their phone conversations from 1953 until her death in 1977. Also included are missives between Callas and her legal separation lawyer; messages between the singer and conductors and artistic directors; and new interviews with friends of Callas’ who have either rarely spoken or, according to them, been falsely quoted. Among them are late vocal coach Janine Reiss, cousins Mary Annexy and Ninon Dimitriadou-Kambouri, assistant director Fabrizio Melano, friend and step-niece of Aristotle Onassis Marilena Patronicolas, Callas’ voice student Marko Lámpas and many more.“The trend to victimize late female performing artists (Callas, Edith Piaf, Marilyn Monroe, Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse) is disrespectful to their legacy because it talks about them in a passive way, rather than touching on their active contributions to the legacy of music, film or theater,” Lambton added.About the AuthorSophia Lambton became a professional classical music critic at the age of 17 when she began writing for Musical Opinion, Britain's oldest music magazine. Since then she has contributed to The Guardian, Bachtrack, musicOMH, BroadwayWorld, BBC Music Magazine and OperaWire, and has conducted operatic research around the world for The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography. This richly detailed account of Maria Callas’ life was published to coincide with her 100th birthday in December 2023, and is currently a finalist in the 2024 ARSC Awards for Best Historical Research in Recorded Classical Music.Her Substack Crepuscular Musings provides vivid explorations of TV and cinema together with reviews of operas, concerts and recitals at sophialambton.substack.comVolume 4 of her first literary saga, The Crooked Little Pieces, recently came out. Currently, she's working on her second. She lives in LondonFor more information, please visit https://www.thecrepuscularpress.com, or connect with the author on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and Pinterest at @thecrepuscularpressAmazon links: https://www.amazon.com/Callas-Imprint-Centennial-Biography-ebook/dp/B0BRYPL5Whttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Callas-Imprint-Centennial-Biography-ebook/dp/B0BRYPL5WNThe Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography

Publisher: The Crepuscular Press

ASIN: B0BRYPL5WN (Kindle)

ISBN-13: 978-1739286323 (hardcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1739286347 (paperback)

Available from Amazon.com