La Divina emozione. Atto primo. Maria Callas è Madama Butterfly
At Palazzo Callas Exhibitions, Maria Callas and Japan in the Magnum Photos International's photographs
Maria Callas, a woman, a voice, an icon
Maria Callas, a woman, a voice, a universal icon.
An epochal change in the world of opera, a sudden leap forward in the history of music, destined to create a before and an after.
An always living legacy, a model and source of inspiration for those who follow her. A tension for change from unpredictable outcomes, contained in a fragile body and soul.
2nd December 2023 will mark the 100th anniversary of her birth and Sirmione, where she was welcomed and was given happy years, returns to pay homage to her through the beauty of art, in all its forms.
La Divina emozione
Atto Primo
Maria Callas è Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is the first act of immersive exhibitions planned between now and 2023, the year in which the whole world will celebrate the centenary of the birth of Anna Maria Cecilia Sophia Kalogheropoulou, “our” Maria Callas.
Sirmione is preparing to play a leading role, offering a rich calendar of unique artistic and cultural activities, conceived in honour of Maria and staged in the places where she spent possibly the happiest years of her life.
This first exhibition is both an introduction and a tribute to the Divina Maria Callas. Inspired by and based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly, it shows images of Japan taken by Magnum International’s photographers, the prestigious photographic agency that unites some of the world’s most renowned photographers while maintaining the ideals from when it was founded in 1947.
The special set design, in which photographs alternate with projected images to the background music of two arias from the opera, “Vogliatemi bene” and “Un bel dì vedremo“, introduces the audience to a mesmerising theatrical experience.
With Madama Butterfly Puccini responded to the growing interest in the Orient during this era. Although he included allusions to Japanese customs and folklore in his music, the Maestro painted above all a female portrait that is overwhelming in its accuracy and sensitivity. This drama of love and expectation is like a play of mirrors that links the performer to her role: Maria Callas is Madama Butterfly.
A bond is therefore created between these two female opera icons, one real, the other fictional, whose romantic destinies have such striking similarities. Maria Callas waits for her lover in Paris, Cio Cio San waits for hers in Nagasaki.
Both have their eyes on America. Two women, one wait.
La Divina emozione
Atto Primo
Maria Callas è Madama Butterfly
Sirmione, Palazzo Callas Exhibitions
24th July – 31st October
Palazzo Callas Exhibitions
Opening times
Every day 10.30 – 12.30 a.m. and 4.30 – 7.00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday open until 10 p.m.
Closed on Monday
Free admission upon reservation
Book your visit to the exhibition La Divina Emozione
Information: Ufficio Cultura e Turismo del Comune di Sirmione, tel. 030 9909184 | cultura@sirmionebs.it
Colophon of the exhibition La Divina emozione
