Callas' Letters Sold at Auction for Eur. 80.000

Online, May 12, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Yesterday morning the extremely important and - up to today - unseen "letters ensamble" written by Maria Callas has been sold to an anonymous British collector for the unexpected price of Eur. 80.000 (world auction record for any soprano's letters ensamble).

Drafted with large handwriting in Italian and very personal in the content, the letters outline the artistic path of Callas from the beginning of her career to the later years of decadence. The first letter was sent from New York, January 28, 1946, and contains several comments on the program that was proposed to her by the Metropolitan Opera; the second relates on her famous debut with Bellini's Norma - "This letter will make you joyful. Because a great desire, yours and mine, is going to come true, on 30 Nov. I will do my debut in 'Norma', with director Serafin in Florence ... I will be the queen of belcanto in Italy and the rest of the world! " In the last letter, written on letterhead with the address in Paris, 36 Avenue George Mandel, dated April 26, 1969, she tells about the famous interview for French television, the Invitee du dimanche: "It was a big success. I received so many praises ... After two and a half hours finally they have wondered why I had stopped singing, and I honestly answered that I was not happy with me and I started again to study to correct myself. They said that if everyone brought me in triumph why did I have doubts, and I replied that I first of all know when I sing well."

The correspondence has been offered with an estimate of 10 thousand Euros during the auction of rare books and autographs in program at Grand Hotel et de Milan, in Milan.

Giulio Filippo Bolaffi, the auction house's President, is extremely proud of such result, declaring: «We are happy that such a unique piece of music history has been appreciated by a keen collector belonging to a Country that once again demonstrated its appreciation for culture, regardless of its origins» (Callas was born in Greece and lived most of her life in Italy).
The global result of the books and manuscripts auction held by the Italian auction house exceeded Eur. 750.000 with more than 75% of the lots sold.