The Rival

“Callas? It won’t last long! You’ll see: soon no one will remember her...” This is claimed by a certain Carlotta Berlumi — a quarrelsome woman who has a long-standing grudge against Maria Callas: she insists that she once shone on... the opera stage herself and was Callas’s main rival. Yes, Carlotta acted like a whimsical prima donna, didn’t want to learn, didn’t want to change, didn’t want to hone her craft, and over time even the most enlightened opera fans completely forgot her. But Callas is, of course, also to blame for this... Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt — a world-renowned writer, playwright, director, and filmmaker, a member of the Académie Goncourt and a laureate of prestigious awards. His books have been translated into several dozen languages, and in France, they are published annually in a total circulation of half a million copies; his plays are performed on stage in about fifty countries. His novel “Oscar and the Pink Lady” has changed the lives of many readers — alongside the Bible, “The Little Prince,” and “The Three Musketeers.” But Schmitt’s first love has always remained music — in his youth he dreamed of becoming a composer — and now he, a music lover, erudite, and insightful connoisseur of human souls, tells the story of Maria Callas, whose centenary was celebrated in 2023. Callas is the greatest opera star, who dedicated her entire life to the art that ultimately led to her downfall. Callas is a legend that became a myth (in 2024, the audience of the largest international film festivals applauded “Maria,” a biopic directed by Pablo Larraín with Angelina Jolie in the title role). However, “The Rival” is a completely different story: it’s a myth turned inside out, a view from a mirror, an anti-portrait through the eyes of a woman who hates Maria Callas, and this story about her, about the world of opera, about the intrigues and cruelty hidden behind the external glamour, Schmitt tells as only he can: deceptively easily, without...