# Scotto on Callas



## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Found this back-handed compliment on Gramilano. (Renata Scotto in recorded conversation with writer, vocal coach, and music critic Albert Innaurato, 2003).

_Listen to me, everyone speak about Callas. But I know Callas before she was Callas.

She was fat and she had this vociaccia - you know what a vociaccia is? You go kill a cat and record its scream. She had this bad skin. And she had this rich husband. We laugh at her, you know that?

And then, I sat in on a rehearsal with Maestro Serafin. You know, it was *Parsifal* and I was supposed to see if I do one of the flowers. I didn't. And she sing that music. In Italian of course. And he tell her this and he tell her that and little by little this voice had all the nature in it - the forest and the magic castle and hatred that is love. And little by little she not fat with bad skin and rich-husband-asleep-in-the-corner, she witch who burn you by standing there.

Maestro Serafin he say to me afterwards, you know now something about *Parsifal*. I say, no Maestro. I know much more. I know how to study. And I know that we are more than voices. We are spirit, we are god when we sing, if we mean it.

Oh yes, they will go on about Tebaldi this and Freni that. Beautiful, beautiful voices, amazing. They work hard. They sincere. They suffer. They more talented than Maria, sure. But she was the genius. Genius come from gênio- spirit. And that make her more than all of us. So I learn from that. Don't let them take from you because you are something they don't expect. Work and fight and work and give, and maybe once in a while you are good._


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Ultimately, I'd say the compliment was a good deal more forehand than backhand.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I remember her being rather piqued because Callas, when Serafin was making his cuts in his version of *Medea*, said to him. "Why are you cutting my music? If you must cut, then cut her (meaning Scotto's) aria." No doubt Callas was still smarting after the Edinburgh affair when Scotto took over from her when Callas refused to do an extra (uncontracted) perfmance.

That said, in her book, Scotto also talks about the lost art of _portamento_ and how Callas was the last singer to do it properly. Her advice was that most singers should stay away from it.


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## mparta (Sep 29, 2020)

Given the egos, I think Scotto's statement acknowledges the greatness in the context of the flaws we all know about, even Callas herself. I find it very meaningful from someone I regard as a very great singer and actress.
Of course, easier for her to be as gracious as she can after Callas' death


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I remember her being rather piqued because Callas, when Serafin was making his cuts in his version of *Medea*, said to him. "Why are you cutting my music? If you must cut, then cut her (meaning Scotto's) aria." No doubt Callas was still smarting after the Edinburgh affair when Scotto took over from her when Callas refused to do an extra (uncontracted) perfmance.
> 
> That said, in her book, Scotto also talks about the lost art of _portamento_ and how Callas was the last singer to do it properly. Her advice was that most singers should stay away from it.


Scotto: "if you have to cut something, you have to cut Glauce's aria!, not mine." "But 10 minutes ago, she was so nice with me, why she do this?" This brought a barrage of hate mail to Scotto. There was one particular person who pursued her in San Francisco (where she was to sing *La Gioconda* with Luciano). He sent her poison pen letters, with pictures of her with Miss Piggy's head on her body, or with photos of Miss Piggy with Scotto's head. Letters excoriating her for her screechy high notes, calling her names in Italian (he was an Italian singing teacher and vocal coach, and a singer manqué).

The intermission featured Scotto backstage, warming up with screeches above the stave, and having a meltdown because of "questa gente merda!" which people took to mean Pavarotti, but it was because she had received another letter, tucked into a bouquet of purple flowers (a symbol of bad luck for Italians).

* Scotto's advice to students should've been to learn to do it properly!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

MAS said:


> Scotto: "if you have to cut something, you have to cut Glauce's aria!, not mine." "But 10 minutes ago, she was so nice with me, why she do this?" This brought a barrage of hate mail to Scotto. There was one particular person who pursued her in San Francisco (where she was to sing *La Gioconda* with Luciano. He sent her poison pen letters, with pictures of her with Miss Piggy's head on her body, or with photos of Miss Piggy with Scotto's head. Letters excoriating her for her screechy high notes, calling her names in Italian (he was an Italian singing teacher and vocal coach, and a singer manqué).
> 
> The intermission featured Scotto backstage, warming up with screeches above the stave, and having a meltdown because of "questa gente merda!" which people took to mean Pavarotti, but it was because she had received another letter, tucked into a bouquet of purple flowers (a symbol of bad luck for Italians).
> 
> * Scotto's advice to students should've been to learn to do it properly!


And this was in the days before social media! Poor Scotto. I don't doubt she was telling the truth. Callas was probably still smarting from the Edinburgh debacle, maybe even regretting by then that she didn't agree to that extra performance. However much she was within her rights not to do it, the repercussions went much further than she might have imagined. Scotto was just caught in the crossfire.


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