Her loud, high-pitched singing is often played for laughs at one point, the high notes actually put a part in the Captain's hair, and create a breeze strong enough to blow back a curtain in an opera box. However, when Castafiore begins singing opera, Tintin dives back out of the car, and narrowly avoids being assassinated by the police.Ĭastafiore has powerful musical talent, both artistically and physically. Tintin hitches a ride in the car while trying to avoid the Syldavian police.

In her first appearance, Castafiore is in a car headed to Klow, Syldavia with Wagner. Castafiore is always accompanied by a small entourage everywhere she goes this includes her two assistants, pianist Igor Wagner and maid Irma. Her pet aria, ' L'air des Bijoux' or 'Jewel Song', was composed by Charles Gounod and comes from the opera Faust. She is a regular fixture at the Milanese opera house La Scala. Like Castafiore, Callas and Ackté were prima donna sopranos and often mentioned in tabloids of the era.īianca Castafiore as seen in The Castafiore Emerald.īianca Castafiore was born and raised in Milan, Italy. When creating Bianca Castafiore, he drew most of his inspiration from the Greek opera singer Maria Callas and Finnish opera singer Aino Ackté. What's more, it makes me laugh.' This stemmed from how his aunt liked to practice singing opera, and as a child, Hergé would be made to sit with his family and listen to her practices. While Hergé was a big fan of classical art, he did not like opera, and strongly detested it: 'Opera bores me, to my great shame.

The Castafiore Emerald by Hergé