The Case for Omero Lengrini

COMMANDOpera will trespass on this singular occasion on the private life of a vocal artist, given that all the personalities involved are no longer living. The whispered story of Omero Lengrini the son of Miss Maria Callas and Mr. Aristotle Onassis is slowly receding into the most obscure corridors of history as the art form itself moves further from her period. COMMANDOpera determined that beyond the obvious salaciousness of the content, it is another piece to the well documented puzzle which is Miss Callas. Does this article offer something more to the benefit of Opera? Not in the opinion of this venue. Yet this story has been ‘speaking’ to this writer a great deal lately, and therefore it is time to go live albeit with great trepidation. Perhaps the sole legitimate reason for the inclusion of this article into COMMANDOpera, is so this rare documentation of the two media will survive.

Directly after the passing of Miss Callas, documentaries of the artist began appearing on television generally on public service channels who cover the Arts. There was one in particular which included a snippet from Miss Edith Gorlinsky, the wife of famed impresario Mr. Sandor Gorlinsky: both of whom were amongst the closest confidants of Miss Callas during her later period. Miss Gorlinsky is the first person of merit and standing to speak publicly on the issue of Omero Lengrini, although it is obvious she is greatly shaken to be breaking the confidence of the now deceased artist. Were it not for this interview, perhaps the reality of Omero Lengrini would have passed into total oblivion. Here is the video clip. Miss Gorlinsky begins to speak at 1:05.

Some years later, a few interested parties picked up the thread of Omero Lengrini’s story which at the time became hotly debated in those circles. This writer followed the goings on at the time insofar as one could manage to read such publications which were not mainstream in availability. Below is the complete debate which COMMANDOpera found scanned in from hard copy on a website close to disuse, and now offers in a cleaned up format for global readers. It represents the most exhaustive study on the subject. Readers may wish to magnify the pages on their screens for easier reading, as there is a great deal to absorb.