Χριστός ἀνέστη!
A modern Icon of the Resurrection.
For Maria Callas, a Greek Orthodox Christian, Easter (“real” Easter, as my Orthodox friends never fail to say) would have been the most important holy day of the year.
I may have this all wrong, but I believe that here you can find a homily read every year at Πάσχα, and here an explanation of the Icon of the Resurrection.
Handel performed by the Gabrieli Consort & Players has nothing at all to do with Orthodox Easter, and I suspect that Callas would have despised more or less everything about HIP. All the same, I don’t see why any of that should stop us from enjoying it.
Χριστός ἀνέστη!
I can see it now — Callas frosty-nosed after hearing yet another Cleopatra pirouetting through Da tempeste: “We cannot give the public a mere athlete’s display of vocal muscle…”