Maria Callas

Maria Callas Costumes Go On Display In New York

Filed under: Events

Maria Callas is a bit lost to the current generation but the late opera singer was once one of the world's most glamorous women and she had the closet to prove it. Stage costumes, dresses and jewelry belonging to the passionate diva are on display at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York.

The exhibit titled "A Woman, A Voice, A Myth" features memorabilia and photos gathered by Bruno Tosi, President of Associazione Culturale Maria Callas. The exhibition has toured the world and this event has been organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of Greece-New York , with major support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Hellenic Parliament Foundation.

Callas, who died in 1977, was born in New York City but received her musical education in Greece and was first famous for her opera singing in Italy where her musical gifts earned her the nickname La Divina. Callas is also famous for her equally dramatic personal life. After a successful career the beautiful diva fell for Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis while she was still married to her husband. She left him for Onassis and the pair were together nine years until Onassis left her for Jacqueline Kennedy.

The exhibit run through March 30 in New York.

Tags: aristotle onassis, exhibition, exhibits, maria callas, opera

The Classicist: London's Famed Savoy Hotel Back After $350 Million Revamp

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Architecture & Design

London's renowned Savoy hotel has just reopened following a massive $350 million revamp encompassing one of the most ambitious restorations in British history. The world famous landmark, built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, originally opened in August 1889. Originally managed by Swiss hotelier César Ritz and Maitre Chef Auguste Escoffier, the hotel quickly became known for impeccable service and cuisine as well as glittering parties and famous patrons. Over the decades George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Noel Coward entertained there, while famous guests included King Edward VII, Harry Truman, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Coco Chanel, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and numerous others. The property, now managed by Fairmont, has been closed for nearly three years while the impressive restoration project took shape.

120 years later the hotel's two main design aesthetics, Edwardian and Art Deco, have been carefully revitalized under the direction of world-renowned designer Pierre Yves Rochon. More than 1000 craftspeople, artists and artisans worked tirelessly to create interiors that are in keeping with the hotel's original and much-loved spirit. 38 new River Suites and guestrooms have been added, offering the same stunning views over the River Thames that inspired Whistler and Monet. Nine Personality Suites pay tribute to a few of the artists and well known figures who made the legendary hotel their London home away from home including Sinatra, Maria Callas, Charlie Chaplin and Marlene Dietrich. The suites contain art, literature, photographs and artifacts that evoke the time and spirit of the stars including the 12 pink roses in the Marlene Dietrich Suite that the actress always requested upon arrival.

The reopening also includes the addition of a stately $16,000-per-night, 325-square meter Royal Suite featuring two bedrooms, a study, sitting room, dining room, master bathroom, dressing room (with a specially ventilated shoe closet) and a master bedroom with a bespoke Savoir bed. The suite has been specially designed so that all the rooms enjoy one of the finest views of London. The legendary River Restaurant meanwhile gets a contemporary interpretation of Art Deco décor, and the famed cocktail mecca the American Bar is back in business while Savoy Grill returns under the operation of Gordon Ramsay Holdings with Chef Patron, Stuart Gillies and Head Chef, Andy Cook. [continued]

Gallery: The Savoy Reborn

Tags: Art Deco, bar, cocktails, Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Taylor, Fairmont, Fairmont hotels, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Gilbert and Sullivan, Gordon Ramsay, hotel, hotel suites, London, luxury hotels, Maria Callas, Marilyn Monroe, Monet, Ritz, Savoy, Savoy hotel, tea, Thames, The Beatles, UK

Continue reading “The Classicist: London's Famed Savoy Hotel Back After $350 Million Revamp”

Maria Callas Yacht Experience Aboard the Christina O

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

There's a unique opportunity to be transported into the jetset era of the 1950's and 1960's with a new yacht charter aboard late Greek shipping tycoon Arisotle Onassis' legendary 325-ft. Christina O. One of the world's most luxurious yachts, it has played host to the likes of Jackie Kennedy (later Onassis), Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Greta Garbo and Grace Kelly. John F. Kennedy first met Winston Churchill on board in 1957, and more recently Sean "Diddy" Combs chartered the craft; and it was also the setting for of the most glamorous, chronicled and ill-fated romances of the 20th century, between Onassis and the world's most famous opera diva, Maria Callas. The yacht's owners are now offering a special Maria Callas Experience charter this spring and summer, featuring a memorable voyage along the Cote d'Azur from Monte Carlo to Cannes, luxurious appointments, exquisite personal service from the attentive crew, superb dining, fine wines, and a bespoke recital of operatic classics with a storyline of Callas' life by some of Europe's most renowned sopranos.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Aristotle Onassis, AristotleOnassis, Christina O, ChristinaO, Jackie O, JackieO, JFK, Maria Callas, MariaCallas, opera, yacht