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Housed in a three-storey neoclassical building in the heart of
the capital, it opens its doors on Thursday and coincides with
the influential singer's 100th birthday on Dec. 2.
Callas' prescription glasses, costumes, and a notebook she used
to memorize parts of her roles are among the items on display,
which have been either donated or loaned to the museum.
A sketch of a design by luxury shoemaker Manolo Blahnik,
inspired by the soprano, who became one of the 20th century's
most iconic opera figures, has been donated by the Maria Callas
Greek Society along with hair which the diva's hairdresser had
kept and sold at an auction.
"Each item contributes in creating a comprehensive image of this
astonishing woman," Kostis Bitzanis, the museum's project
director told Reuters.
"Maria Callas is one of the biggest brand names world-wide, she
is a woman who became a legend," he said.
Born Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos in New York in
December 1923 to Greek parents, Callas was credited with the
almost single-handed revival of the Italian bel canto vocal
technique.
On the second floor of the museum, visitors can listen to parts
of Callas' signature performances, including the aria "Casta
Diva" from Bellini's opera "Norma”, and hear her teaching at the
Julliard School in New York in 1971-1972.
"Keep on going ... in the proper way, not with the fireworks,
not with the easy applause," Callas tells her students in a
farewell speech in March 1972.
Callas died of a heart attack in 1977 aged 53.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou, editing by Deborah Kyvrikosaios)
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