callas turns 90

Happy ninetieth birthday, Maria Callas.

Much was and is said about her: her glamour, her weight losses and gains, her fling with Aristotle Onassis, her bringing of opera to a new audience.

But let us never forget one main fact: she worked hard and honed her craft, and was good at making music.

Her characterizations of Aida and Violetta were and are unforgettable. Her raw, odd voice pierced the heart immediately. And those things happened because she was determined that they would happen.