An extraordinary piece of operatic history – a film of Maria Callas’s Paris debut, a spectacular one-off gala concert that took place on December 19, 1958 – has been restored from the original reels and presented in colour, in 4K resolution, and in Dolby Atmos surround sound.

As reported last month, Callas – Paris 1958 will bring vividly to life a remarkable event from the Paris Opéra, one attended by guests including the French President, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Jean Cocteau, Charlie Chaplin and Brigitte Bardot. Wearing a million dollars’ worth of jewellery, the iconic singer opened with her signature role, Norma’s ‘Casta diva’, which was followed by the ‘Miserere’ scene from Il Trovatore and ‘Una voce poco fa’ from Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The second half consisted of a full performance of Act II of Tosca.

The film's trailer is today being released, offering viewers a glimpse of the how the remastered film will look and sound.

The film has been produced by Volf Productions and Composite Films - the team behind the 2017 award-winning documentary Maria By Callas. Tom Volf, Director and Producer, recalls how ‘In 2021, in a basement in Athens, I made an incredible discovery - the original film reels of a historical performance: Maria Callas' Paris debut.'

'After years of restoration work, I am honoured to be presenting this film not only because it is the first time ever that audiences will see a full colour performance by Maria Callas, but also because it gives us all the chance to experience what it was like to be in that Opera House in 1958 and spend the night with the greatest opera singer of all time,’ added Volf.

Callas – Paris 1958 will be screened in cinemas worldwide in November and December, including at selected Vue Cinemas across the UK and Ireland on November 11, 12 and 22. See MariaCallas.Film for more details.