Maria Callas sings Beethoven's Aria: Ah! Perfido, op. 65 in Rehearsal March or April 1976, Paris

This recording is of Maria Callas rehearsing 'Ah! Perfido' in Paris. This was in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, according to frankhamilton.org, and the accompanist was Jeffrey Tate. The website explains she considered performing a concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London later in 1976 and this session was for practice. She had previously made a studio recording of this aria with orchestra for EMI in sessions during 1963 and 1964 and had included it in several sessions of her masterclass at Julliard in 1972.


This recording has been available on YouTube at various times but I have remastered the sound which was distorted and murky. There are still problems but I have managed to open up the sound to some extent and comparisons with other copies show this is clearer, brighter and the words can be heard better than is typical. I have used modern reference recordings of sopranos singing this aria with piano as a guide: the result is brighter treble and tighter bass. The pitch was luckily very consistent throughout. I hope you enjoy this version of an intriguing souvenir of Maria Callas a year before she died.