On May 7, 1953, Maria Callas made her debut in the role which would become her most unapproachable artistic achievement. Gloriously, the opening night of Cherubini's Medea was recorded and preserved for later generations to hear. Though offering something unique in each of her renditions, no surviving Callas Medea matches the power, ease, and youthfulness of voice the soprano displays in the Florentine recording.

Unfortunately, the Greek tragedy of the performance has often been marred by equally tragic sound. Thanks to the efforts of Cetra and arsvocalis, however, the best sounding transfer of the recording has come into circulation. This is the source that I had on my hands when I began experimenting with re-equalizing the sound. What I stumbled upon was a revelation: buried within the boxy, rotten sound of the age-old recording lay frequencies that only needed a boost, and a whole new sound image came to life. Adding a bit of stereoization, and you can hear the results for yourself.

In honor of the upcoming 70 years since the performance, enjoy my restoration of what may well be Maria Callas's greatest recording of Medea, and no doubt one of the greatest nights of her career.

Luigi Cherubini's Medea
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence May Music Festival)
May 7, 1953, Teatro Comunale, Florence
Vittorio Gui conducts.

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