La voce delle mani. Maria Callas and the Italians
Photo exhibition by Cristina de Middel and Richard Kalvar of Magnum Photos
La voce delle mani
Maria Callas and the Italians
Photographs by Cristina de Middel and Richard Kalvar
La Divina Emozione. Atto Secondo
Palazzo Callas Exhibitions,
23 luglio – 6 novembre 2022
Reopening from Thursday 8 December 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023
The hands that speak are those of Maria Callas, an extraordinary interpreter who brought the strength of a magnificent voice and the depth of unforgettable interpretations to the stage.
It is the hands of the Italians that add richness and depth of meaning to every conversation and make it understandable even to those unfamiliar with our language.
On the first floor, Cristina de Middel celebrates the outstanding talent of Maria Callas with a unique exhibition, specially created for the occasion.
In a certain sense, the story of Maria Callas is the confirmation of a certain archetypical view of women who, it is said, believe in true love and who sacrifice their careers for the sake of it. She let herself die when life, they say, was no longer worth living. The larger audience remembers her because it is easier to recognize oneself in her suffering than to acknowledge her outstanding talent. This was even more the case in the times of Maria Callas, and especially so concerning a woman’s talent.
When Maria Callas started raising to the status of “Diva”, with a voice that would stand out and create the legend she became, it was Luchino Visconti, the movie and stage director, who shaped her as an actress. In her words: “Visconti made me discover how you have to act on stage. He taught me, that the less you move on stage without a real reason for it, the more would be reflected my true personality“.
In Maria Callas’ minimalistic performances, the gestures are perceived as a delicate ritual in which her hands, in cadence with the music, express themselves as powerfully as does her voice.
On the second floor, Richard Kalvar presents his exhibition which focuses on Italian people’s use of a sort of secondary gestural language. He started this series when he first visited Italy in early August 1978 to photograph the funeral of Pope Paul VI and the election of his successor.
As his taxi pulled into the Piazza di Spagna in Rome, he understood immediately that he had arrived in a photographer’s paradise which he describes as follows: “I saw that I was now in the land of perpetual human interaction, expressed not only with the voice but with the mouth, the cheeks, the eyes, the eyebrows, the forehead, the hands (the hands!) – in fact the whole body.
The interior visually exteriorized! What more could a photographer wish for? So, when I came back repeatedly and enthusiastically to photograph life in Italy, I wound up with many pictures in which gestures were essential. I wasn’t trying to catalog them; I just couldn’t avoid them! “
With “La voce delle mani” continues the Sirmione Callas 21 -23 project that will accompany us towards the centenary of the birth of Maria Callas in 2023.
La voce delle mani
Maria Callas and the Italians
Photographs by Cristina de Middel and Richard Kalvar
La Divina Emozione. Atto Secondo
Palazzo Callas Exhibitions,
23 luglio – 6 novembre 2022
Reopening from Thursday 8 December 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023
Opening hours from Thursday 8 December 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023
Friday 15: 00-18:00
Saturday, Sunday and Public holidays: 10:30 – 12:30 / 15:00 – 18:00
Opening hours from 23 July to 30 September
Every day 10: 30-12:30/16:30-19:00
Friday and Saturday 10:30-12:30/16:30-22:00
Closed on Mondays, except holidays
Opening hours from 1st October to 6th November
Every day 10:30-12:30/15:00-18:00
Closed on Mondays, except holidays
Free admission
Info, Ufficio Cultura e Turismo: cultura@sirmionebs.it – 030 9909 184
Sirmione Callas 21 – 23, the complete calendar of the 2022 edition
Sirmione Callas 21-23 is sponsored by: Elnòs Shopping – Intred – Marmi Ghirardi – Bossoni Volvo
La voce delle mani Maria Callas and the Italians, the poster
A Sirmione La voce delle mani, Francesca Roman article on Giornale di Brescia and Teletutto (in Italian only)
Galleries: Mani che parlano, the exhibition’staging
