Legendary opera singer Maria Callas is portrayed by Angelina Jolie in the new movie Maria by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, which concludes his trilogy about iconic women, after Jackie (2016) with Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy and Spencer (2021) with Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana.

Franco Zeffirelli, who had directed Callas on stage in operas like La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, Tosca by Giacomo Puccini, Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, directed the movie Callas Forever (2002) starring French actress Fanny Ardant.

Pier Paolo Pasolini asked Maria Callas to star in Medea (1969), a dramatic film based on the Greek tragedy by Euripides, not on Médée, the 1797 French opera by Luigi Cherubini, that was part of Callas repertory in its Italian version.

If you want to actually see the real Maria Callas speaking and singing, I suggest you look for the documentary Maria by Callas on streaming. Read my article for Cultural Weekly at this link. There you will be able to watch the complete arias listed below and filmed on stage. You may click on the aria’s name to read the Italian lyrics and the English translation, because even a native Italian speaker like myself has trouble understanding all the words, when a high pitched soprano voice sings them.

“Addio del passato” La Traviata 1853 by Giuseppe Verdi. Lisbon, Portugal. March 27, 1958.

“Casta Diva” Norma 1831 by Vincenzo Bellini. Concert-Paris Opéra. December 19, 1958. It’s colorized in the documentary, but click here to watch it on YouTube in B&W (skip the commercials).

“L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera)” Carmen 1875 by George Bizet. November 4, 1962. Concert-Royal Opera House, London.  You may watch the entire 1962 concert colorized with English subtitles at this link, see Callas sing two other arias from Carmen in French, and this aria in Italian “Tu, che la vanitá” Don Carlos 1867 by Giuseppe Verdi

“Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore” Tosca 1900 by Giacomo Puccini. 1963 London. Royal Opera House. Watch at this link, followed by duet with Tito Gobbi as Scarpia. Also the 2003 BBC documentary Maria Callas: Living and Dying for Art and Love.

For more info and photos click on Maria Callas Official Website.

That is where I found this aria on video “Tu che invoco con orrore” La vestale 1807 by Gaspare Spondini. Hamburg May 15, 1959. Watch it here.

You may watch this entire concert and the May 16, 1962 concert in Hamburg at this link. See Callas sing many more arias that I don’t list here, but you will find in this album.

Maria opens in theaters on November 27 and airs on Netflix December 11. Get ready to enjoy it more by watching Maria Callas sing some of those classic arias.

Here’s one more aria, my favorite, I can never help crying when I hear it. “Un bel dì vedremo” Madama Butterly 1904 by Giacomo Puccini.

I could not find a video of Callas singing it, but you may listen to the audio at this link, with lyrics both in Italian and English. Enjoy!