Warner Classics has just released a 42-CD and three Blu-ray set of ‘Maria Callas Live: Remastered Live Recordings 1949-1964’ (enter the competition to win the box-set), gathering together 20 operas, of which a dozen were never recorded by Callas in the studio. The recordings have been remastered at the Studio Art et Son in Paris. To demonstrate the remastering technique, Warner Classics has given us access to two arias ‘before and after’: one in the 1997 EMI remastering and one in the new French remastering.

The arias are ‘Quando rapito in estasi’ from Act 1 of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (recorded at the Berlin State Opera in September 1955 with Herbert von Karajan conducting) and ‘Un macchia e qui tuttora’ from Act 4 of Macbeth (recorded at La Scala, Milan in December 1952 with Victor de Sabata conducting).

Sound Examples

‘Quando rapito in estasi’ (1997 remastering):

‘Quando rapito in estasi’ (new remastering):

‘Un macchia e qui tuttora’ (1997 remastering):

‘Un macchia e qui tuttora’ (new remastering):

Competition

To be in with a chance of winning the 'Maria Callas – Live' box-set, simply answer the mutiple-choice question here (competition closes at midnight October 9, 2017):

Maria Callas Competition