Music: Angelic Purity, Raw Urgency

Soprano Teresa Stratas' art and life imitate each other

Scenes from the life of Soprano Teresa Stratas:

Calcutta, spring, 1981. "Hell on earth, wall-to-wall misery." Forsaking singing for a time, Teresa Stratas enters Mother Teresa's mission to work at the orphanage, with sick children and, finally, with the terminally ill. At the top of the stairs stands a little girl, hanging on to the railing. "She was blind, ugly—and so beautiful. When she smiled, it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. She hung on to me and I wanted to bring her home....

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