Legato and Staccato. Homage to Maria Callas

LEGATO and STACCATO
Cristina de Middel Homage to Maria Callas
Video and photo exhibition
La Divina emozione. Sirmione Callas 21 23
Palazzo Callas Exhibitions,
10 June – 5 November 2023

What would it have been like if Maria Callas had had the chance to sing in Sirmione? In that place that she considered an earthly paradise, where to find peace, serenity and beauty?

This is the question that inspired Cristina de Middel in the realization of LEGATO and STACCATO, Homage to Maria Callas: the visionary photographic video installation that brings the Divine back to some of the most representative places of Sirmione and stages five famous works of which the same Callas was the protagonist.

Cristina de Middel has imagined a real return journey where the famous guest from Sirmione becomes the epic figure of the story. Already an icon with legendary traits, Maria Callas returns to de Middel’s work further transfigured and strengthened: her identity merges with that of the tragic heroines she interpreted: Medea, Butterfly, Traviata, Tosca, Norma and she redeems and revitalize the myth.

The exhibition stimulates a profound reflection on the traditional narrative of the “hero’s journey” and questions it. Male heroes are generally described as victorious and satisfied, this is not the case for female heroines. de Middel writes:

“These short videos have been created to pay homage to the heroines, those of legends, those on stage and those in real life. To reflect on the tragedy of their stories I was privileged to work in a unique place, endowed with such beauty as to in turn making the boundary between reality and myth difficult to define.The corners of Sirmione were the perfect setting to represent this homage to the Opera and to women and I shared the choice with Maria Callas, who in turn passed in this city of surreal charm some of the few happy years of his epic life”.

To learn more:
Legato and Staccato, the opera libretto
Cristina de Middel and Maria Callas, the biographies
The colophon of the exhibition

LEGATO and STACCATO
Cristina de Middel Homage to Maria Callas
Video and photo exhibition
La Divina emozione. Sirmione Callas 21 23
Palazzo Callas Exhibitions,
10 June – 5 November 2023

Orari hours from 10 June al 30 September
Every day 10:30-12:30 / 4:30 pm-7:00 pm
Friday and Saturday 10:30-12:30 / 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Closed on Mondays, except holidays
Opening hours from 1st October to 5th November
Every day 10:30-12:30 / 3:00 pm-6:00 pm
Closed on Mondays, except holidays

Free admission
Info, Ufficio Cultura e Turismo: cultura@sirmionebs.it – 030 9909 184

The heroines are arriving in Sirmione: LEGATO and STACCATO the teaser
The tools of the trade at the opera: la galleria fotografica dell’allestimento
Il filo rosso che unisce Maria Callas e le sue eroine: TV service by Teletutto
Racconto le sfide di Maria Callas e rendo omaggio alle eroine: Giornale di Brescia and Bresciaoggi write about LEGATO and STACCATO
The symbolic power of the objects: the reaction of the public
Sirmione è il palcoscenico perfetto: Cristina de Middel intervistata su LEGATO and STACCATO: il progetto
Theresa May alla mostra Legato & Staccato: L’ex premier inglese ha visitato ed apprezzato la mostra di Cristina de Middel a Palazzo Callas Exhibitions
Legato and Staccato affascina Theresa May, turista affezionata a Sirmione: la stampa racconta la visita dell’ex premier inglese