“Nobody can double Callas”

I believe that Maria Callas uttered these immortal words during a 1968 interview with John Ardoin, during which she recalled her supposed Rome “walkout” in 1958. (I love that parenthetical “I would not kill them.” Don’t we all have days like that?)

“Nobody can double Callas” is also part of Wayne Koestenbaum’s libretto for Michael Daugherty’s 1997 opera Jackie O. Today’s clip is from a 2008 Bologna production in which Callas is portrayed by the remarkable Nora Sourouzian.

Callas makes a calque on the Italian doppio or “understudy.” In Italian, doppiare also means “to dub,” and I’ve already written about Callas and dubbing.