The Joan Sutherland Handbook - Everything you need to know about Joan Sutherland

Rohan Gallaway

Description

Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (7 November 1926 - 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution in the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s.

One of the most remarkable female opera singers of the 20th century, she was dubbed La Stupenda by a La Fenice audience in 1960 after a performance as Alcina. She possessed a voice of beauty and power, combining extraordinary agility, accurate intonation, pin point staccatos, a splendid trill and a tremendous upper register, although music critics often complained about the imprecision of her diction. Her friend Luciano Pavarotti once called Sutherland the "Voice of the Century", while Montserrat Caballé described the Australian's voice as being like "heaven". Her highest note was a high F-sharp in altissimo.

This book is your ultimate resource for Joan Sutherland. Here you will find the most up-to-date information, photos, and much more.

In easy to read chapters, with extensive references and links to get you to know all there is to know about her Early life, Career, Personal life and Recordings right away: Beatrice di Tenda, I puritani, La sonnambula, Norma (opera), Carmen, Griselda, Lakmé, Emilia di Liverpool, Lucia di Lammermoor, La fille du régiment, L'elisir d'amore, Lucrezia Borgia (opera), Maria Stuarda, Faust (opera), Alcina, Athalia (Handel), Messiah (Handel), Rodelinda (opera), Idomeneo, Don Giovanni, Les Huguenots, The Tales of Hoffmann, Suor Angelica, Turandot, Semiramide, Hamlet, Ernani, I masnadieri, Requiem, Rigoletto, La traviata, Il trovatore, Siegfried (opera)

Contains selected content from the highest rated entries, typeset, printed and shipped, combining the advantages of up-to-date and in-depth knowledge with the convenience of printed books. A portion of the proceeds of each book will be donated to the Wikimedia Foundation to support their mission.

Sujets

• Performing Arts
• Biography
• Entertainment
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Emereo Publishing
• Date de parution: 24 octobre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781486434732
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 9 Mo

Extrait

Joan Sutherland

Topic relevant selected content from the highest rated wiki entries, typeset, printed and shipped. Combine the advantages of up-to-date and in-depth knowledge with the convenience of printed books. A portion of the proceeds of each book will be donated to the Wikimedia Foundation to support their mission: to empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally. The content within this book was generated collaboratively by volunteers. Please be advised that nothing found here has necessarily been reviewed by people with the expertise required to provide you with complete, accurate or reliable information. Some information in this book maybe misleading or simply wrong. The publisher does not guarantee the validity of the information found here. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial, or risk management) please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area. Sources, licenses and contributors of the articles and images are listed in the section entitled "References". Parts of the books may be licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. A copy of this license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License" All used third-party trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Contents Articles Joan Sutherland Beatrice di Tenda I puritani La sonnambula Norma (opera) Carmen Griselda Lakmé Emilia di Liverpool Lucia di Lammermoor La fille du régiment L'elisir d'amore Lucrezia Borgia (opera) Maria Stuarda Faust (opera) Alcina Athalia (Handel) Messiah (Handel) Rodelinda (opera) Idomeneo Don Giovanni Les Huguenots The Tales of Hoffmann Suor Angelica Turandot Semiramide Hamlet Ernani I masnadieri Requiem Rigoletto La traviata Il trovatore Siegfried (opera)

1 13 16 19 23 26 42 43 47 49 55 58 62 66 69 72 75 81 86 89 94 102 107 112 114 122 125 153 157 161 175 181 186 190

References Article Sources and Contributors Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors Article Licenses License

194 198

200

1 Joan Sutherland Joan Sutherland [1] Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (7 November 1926– 10 ) was an AustralianOctober 2010 dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution in the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. One of the most remarkable female opera singers of the 20th century, she was dubbedLa Stupendaby a La Fenice audience in 1960 after a performance as Alcina. She possessed a voice of beauty and power, combining [2] extraordinary agility, accurate intonation, "pin point staccatos, a splendid trill and a tremendous upper register, although music critics often complained about the imprecision of her diction. Her friend Luciano Pavarotti once called Sutherland the "Voice of the Century", while Montserrat Caballé described the Australian's voice as being like [3] "heaven". Her highest note was a high F-sharp inaltissimo. Early life and career Joan Sutherland was born of Scots parents in Sydney, Australia, where she attended St Catherine's School. As a child, she listened to and copied the singing exercises of her mother, a mezzo-soprano who had studied but never considered making a career. Sutherland was 18 when she started studying voice seriously with John and Aida Dickens. She made her concert debut in Sydney, as Dido in Purcell'sDido and Aeneas, in 1947. In 1951, she made her stage debut in Eugene Goossens'sJudith. In 1951, after winning Australia's most important competition, the Sun Aria, she went to London to further her studies at the Opera School of the Royal College of Music with Clive Carey. She was engaged by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as a utility soprano, and made her debut there on 28 October 1952, as the First Lady inThe Magic Flute, followed in November by a few performances as Clotilde in Vincenzo Bellini'sNorma, with Maria Callas as Norma. During her early career, she was training to be a Wagnerian dramatic soprano, following the steps of Kirsten Flagstad, whom she greatly admired. In December 1952, she sang her first leading role at the Royal Opera House, Amelia inUn ballo in maschera. Other roles included Agathe inDer Freischütz, the Countess inThe Marriage of Figaro, Desdemona inOtello, Gilda inRigoletto, Eva inDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Pamina inThe Magic Flute. In 1953, she sang in Benjamin Britten'sGlorianaa few months after its world premiere, and created the role of Jennifer in Michael Tippett'sThe Midsummer Marriage, on 27 January 1955. Sutherland married Australian conductor and pianist, Richard Bonynge, on 16 October 1954. They had a son, Adam, born in 1956. Bonynge gradually convinced her that Wagner might not be her Fach after all, since she had such great ease with high notes and coloratura, and that she should perhaps explore the bel canto repertory. In 1957, she appeared in Handel'sAlcinawith the Handel Opera Society, and in Donizetti'sEmilia di Liverpool, in which performances her bel canto potential was clearly demonstrated, vindicating her husband's judgement. The following year she sang Donna Anna inDon Giovanniin Vancouver. In 1958, at the Royal Opera House, she "stopped the show" with "Let the Bright Seraphim" from Handel'sSamson, an exceedingly difficult and demanding aria. The crowd was on its feet for ten minutes and the show came to a stop. It was one of the most extraordinary ovations that house had seen. Her future as a diva at the Royal Opera House seemed assured afterwards.

Joan Sutherland La Stupenda In 1959, she was invited to singLucia di Lammermoorat the Royal Opera House in a production conducted by Tullio Serafin and staged by Franco Zeffirelli. The role of Edgardo was sung by her fellow Australian Kenneth [4] Neate, who had replaced the scheduled tenor at short notice. It was a breakthrough for Sutherland's career, and, upon the completion of the famous Mad Scene, she had become a star. In 1960, she recorded the albumThe Art of the Prima Donna, which remains today one of the most recommended opera albums ever recorded: the double LP set won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance— Vocal Soloist in 1962. The album, a collection consisting mainly of coloratura arias, provides an opportunity to listen to the young Sutherland at the beginning of her international career. It displays her seemingly effortless coloratura ability, high notes and opulent tones, as well as her exemplary trill, by which she is identified and for which she is widely admired. By the beginning of the 1960s, Sutherland had already established a reputation as a diva with a voice out of the ordinary. She sang Lucia to great acclaim in Paris in 1960 and, in 1961, at La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera. Also in 1960, she sang a superb Alcina at La Fenice, Venice, where she was nicknamedLa Stupenda("The Stunning One"). Sutherland would soon be praised asLa Stupendain newspapers around the world. Later that year (1960), Sutherland sang Alcina at the Dallas Opera, with which she made her US debut. Her Metropolitan Opera debut took place on 26 November 1961, when she sangLucia. After a total of 217 performances in a number of different operas, her last appearance there was on 19 December 1987, when she sang in Il trovatore. During 1978–82 period her relationship with the Met severely deteriorated when Sutherland had to decline the role of Constanze in Mozart'sDie Entführung aus dem Serail, more than a year before the rehearsals were scheduled to start. The opera house management then declined to stage the operettaThe Merry Widow especially for her, as requested; subsequently, she did not perform at the Met during that time at all, even though a [5] production of Rossini'sSemiramidehad also been planned, but later she returned there to sing in other operas. During the 1960s, Sutherland had added the greatest heroines of bel canto ("beautiful singing") to her repertoire: Violetta in Verdi'sLa traviata, Amina in Bellini'sLa sonnambulaand Elvira in Bellini'sI puritaniin 1960; the title role in Bellini'sBeatrice di Tendain 1961; Marguerite de Valois in Meyerbeer'sLes Huguenotsand the title role in Rossini'sSemiramidein 1962; Norma in Bellini'sNormaand Cleopatra in Handel'sGiulio Cesarein 1963. In 1966 she added Marie in Donizetti'sLa fille du régiment, which became one of her most adored roles, because of her perfect coloratura and lively, funny interpretation. In 1965, Sutherland toured Australia with the Sutherland-Williamson Opera Company. Accompanying her was a young tenor named Luciano Pavarotti, and the tour proved to be a major milestone in Pavarotti's career. Every performance featuring Sutherland sold out. During the 1970s, Sutherland strove to improve her diction, which had often been criticised, and increase the expressiveness of her interpretations. She continued to add dramatic bel canto roles to her repertoire, such as Donizetti'sMaria StuardaandLucrezia Borgia, as well as Massenet's extremely difficultEsclarmonde, a role that few sopranos attempt. She recorded a very successfulTurandotin 1972 under the baton of Zubin Mehta, though she never performed that role on stage. Sutherland's early recordings show her to be possessed of a crystal-clear voice and excellent diction. However, by the early 1960s her voice lost some of this clarity in the middle register, and she often came under fire for having unclear diction. Some have attributed this to sinus surgery; however, her major sinus surgery was done in 1959, [6] immediately after her breakthroughLuciaat Covent Garden. In fact, her first commercial recording of the first and final scene ofLuciareveals her voice and diction to be just as clear as prior to the sinus procedure. Her husband Richard Bonynge stated in an interview that her "mushy diction" occurred while striving to achieve perfect legato. [7] According to him, it is because she earlier had a very Germanic "un-legato" way of singing. She clearly took the criticism to heart, as, within a few years, her diction improved markedly and she continued to amaze and thrill audiences throughout the world.

2

Joan Sutherland 3 In the late 1970s, Sutherland's voice started to decline and her vibrato loosened to an intrusive extent. However, thanks to her vocal agility and solid technique, she continued singing the most difficult roles amazingly well. During the 1980s, she addedAnna Bolena, Amalia inI masnadieriandAdriana Lecouvreurto her repertoire, and repeated Esclarmondeat the Royal Opera House performances in November and December 1983. Her last performance was as Marguerite de Valois (Les Huguenots) at the Sydney Opera House in 1990, at the age of 63, where she sangHome Sweet Homefor her encore. Her last public appearance, however, took place in a gala performance ofDie Fledermauson New Year's Eve, 1990, at Covent Garden, where she was accompanied by her colleagues Luciano Pavarotti and the mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. [8] According to her own words, given in an interview withThe Guardian, her biggestnewspaper in 2002 achievement was to sing the title role inEsclarmonde. She considered those performances and recordings her best. Retirement years After retirement, Sutherland made relatively few public appearances, preferring a quiet life at her home in Switzerland. One exception was her 1994 address at a lunch organised by Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. In that address, she complained about having to be interviewed by a clerk of Chinese or Indian background when applying to renew her Australian passport. Her comments caused controversy [9] [10] among some sections of the community at the time. Sutherland had a leading role as Mother Rudd in the 1995 comedy film Dad and Dave: On Our Selectionopposite Leo McKern and Geoffrey [11] Rush. In 1997 she published an autobiography,The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland: A Prima Donna's Progress. While it received generally [12] scathing reviews for its literary merits, it does contain a complete list of all her performances, with full cast lists. In 2002 she appeared at a dinner in London to accept the Royal Joan Sutherland in 1990 Philharmonic Society's gold medal. She also gave an interview toThe Guardianin which she lamented the lack of technique in young opera [8] singers and the dearth of good teachers. By now, no longer giving master classes herself, she was asked why this was by Italian journalists in May 2007, replying: "Because I'm 80 years old and I really don't want to have anything [13] to do with opera any more, although I do sit on the juries of singing competitions." The Cardiff Singer of the World competition was the one that Sutherland was most closely associated with after her retirement. She began her regular involvement with the event in 1993, serving on the jury five consecutive times and later, in 2003, became its [14] patron. [15] On 3 July 2008, she fell and broke both of her legs while gardening at her home in Switzerland. She completely recovered and attended a 2009 luncheon hosted by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in honour of members of the Order of Merit.

Joan Sutherland 4 Death On 11 October 2010, Sutherland's family announced that she had died at her home near Geneva in Switzerland the [16] [1] [17] previous day. She had been suffering from poor health following a fall in 2008. A statement from her family said "She's had a long life and gave a lot of pleasure to a lot of people." Sutherland had requested a small, [16] private funeral service. Her funeral will be held on 14 October and Opera Australia have begun planning a tribute [17] to her. Artistic director of Opera Australia, Lyndon Terracini, said "We won't see her like again. She had a [17] phenomenal range, size and quality of voice. We simply don't hear that any more." Sutherland is survived by her [18] husband, son and daughter-in-law. Honours and awards During her career and after, Sutherland received many honours and awards. [19] In 1961, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). That year she was also named the Australian of the Year. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 9 June 1975, she was in the first group of people to be named Companions of the [20] Order of Australia (AC) (the order had been created only in February 1975). She was elevated within the Order of the British Empire from Commander to Dame Commander (DBE) in the New [21] Year's Honours of 1979. [22] On 29 November 1991, the Queen bestowed on Dame Joan the Order of Merit (OM). In January 2004 she received the Australia PostAustralian Legends Awardwhich honours Australians who have contributed to the Australian identity and culture. Two stamps featuring Joan Sutherland were issued on Australia Day 2004 to mark the award. Later in 2004, she received a Kennedy Center Honor for her outstanding achievement throughout her career. Sutherland House and the Dame Joan Sutherland Centre, both at St Catherine's School, Sydney, and The Joan [23] Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (JSPAC), Penrith, are all named in her honour. Roles [24] Joan Sutherland performed live the following complete roles. First Composer Work Role House ConductorDirectorRemarks performance Jun-1947HandelAcis and GalateaGalateaEastwood Concert performance Masonic Hall, Sydney Aug-1947PurcellDido and AeneasDidoConcert performanceLyceum Club, Sydney

15-Jul-1950

09-Jul-1951

16-Jul-1952

Handel

Goossens

Puccini

Samson

Judith

Il tabarro

Dalila and Israelite woman

Judith

Giorgetta

Sydney Town Hall

Sydney Conservatorium of Music

Parry Theatre, RCM

Goossens

Richard Austin

Peter Rice/Pauline Elliot

Concert performance; Sutherland made her professional role debut as the Israelite woman on 14 October 1958

Sutherland's first complete staged opera

ROH, Covent Garden

Gui

OffenbachLes contes d'Hoffmann

J Gibson

Pritchard

Tippett

ROH, Covent Garden

Agathe

ROH, Covent Garden

ROH tour, Edinburgh

ROH, Covent Garden

Gerard

ROH, Covent Garden

Barbirolli

Wakhévitch

Barlow/Stone

BBC radio broadcast

The Midsummer Marriage

Wakhévitch

Hepworth

ROH, Covent Garden

ROH, Covent Garden

Pemberton

Mozart

Verdi

27-Jan-1955

Lambert

17-Nov-1954

08-Nov-1952

Wagner

Mozart Mozart

Wakhévitch

Wakhévitch

Messel

ROH, Covent Garden

11-Aug-1953

19-Oct-1953

19-Jun-1955

30-Sep-1955 30-Oct-1955

ROH, Covent Garden

ROH tour, Glasgow

Mackerras Stiedry

E Young

ROH, Covent Garden

Pritchard

Downes

Cruddas

Downes

Hurry

Furse

Die Walküre

Lady Rich

Stiedry Downes

ROH, Covent Garden

ROH, Covent Garden

Olympia

Joan Sutherland 28-Oct-1952Mozart

03-Nov-1952

Antonia

Woglinde and Woodbird

30-Apr-1954Piccinni 27-May-1954Wagner

Lucinda

Aida

11-Mar-1956 10-Nov-1956

Der Ring des Nibelungen

OffenbachLes contes d'Hoffmann WeberEuryanthe BizetCarmen

Jenifer

Giulietta

5

ROH, Covent Garden

La clemenza di TitoVitellia The Magic FlutePamina

Eva

Un ballo in maschera

24-Feb-1953

29-Dec-1952

Gloriana

The Marriage of Figaro Elektra

28-Jan-1957

23-Mar-1954

02-Nov-1953

Verdi

04-Feb-1954

Bellini

Sutherland's professional debut

Norma

Aida

The Magic Flute

La buona figliuola

Weber

Verdi

Aida

BBC radio broadcast

Der Freischütz

Sutherland's first leading role

Wagner

Amelia

Britten

Carmen

13-May-1953Strauss

Bizet

Pritchard

First lady

Messel

Cruddas

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

ROH, Covent Garden

Frasquita

ROH tour, Bulawayo

Sutherland also sang the role of Helmwige, which she had sung previously; the other dates of the cycle were 2, 8, and 17 June

Kubelík

ROH, Covent Garden

Pritchard J Gibson

Euryanthe Micaela

ROH, Covent Garden

Helwige

Downes

Downes

World premiere; Sutherland created the role

BBC radio broadcast

Wakhévitch

Wakhévitch

Pritchard

Countess Almaviva Overseer

High Priestess Clotilde

Barlow

Kleiber

Stiedry

OffenbachLes contes d'Hoffmann

28-Feb-1955

Wakhévitch

Rodelinda

The Queen of ROH, Covent the NightGarden Maguerite de La Scala Valois SemiramideLa Scala CleopatraSadler's Wells Theatre NormaVancouver Opera MargueriteConnecticut Opera

Eisler

Farncombe

Gellner

This performance marked the beginning of Sutherland's international career

Concert performance; Sutherland first performed this role on stage on 10 May 1961

Sadler's Wells Theatre

24-May-1958Haydnl 26-Jul-1958Mozart

09-Mar-1965

17-Oct-1963

Pidcock

Concert performance; Sutherland first performed this role on stage on 19 February 1960

Mozart

The Magic Flute

St Pancras Town Hall

Bonynge

Bonynge

Alcina

Poulenc

BBC radio broadcast BBC radio broadcast

Alcina

Verdi

Nicola Benois

McLance/Mess

Warre

Joan Sutherland 19-Mar-1957Handel

16-Jan-1958

Zeffirelli

6

Fedorovitch

Heeley

Sanjust

08-Jan-1960

Gounod

La traviata

21-Feb-1961

Faust

28-May-1962MeyerbeerLes Huguenots

ROH, Covent Garden

Serafin

Norma

Rossini Handel

Semiramide Giulio Cesare

Bellini

Gui

Santi

Serafin

Rodelinda

17-Feb-1959

16-Aug-1957 08-Sep-1957 21-Dec-1957

05-Jul-1957

Scarlatti Donizetti Verdi

19-Oct-1960

24-Jun-1959

Handel

Beatrice di Tenda

Bellini

RigolettoGildaROH, Covent Garden DerHertz Mme Glyndebourne SchauspieldirektorFestival Opera Mitridate EupatoreLaodice Emilia di LiverpoolEmilia OtelloDesdemonaROH, Covent Garden Dialogues of the Mme LidoineROH, Covent CarmelitesGarden Applausus MusicusTemperentia Don GiovanniDonna AnnaVancouver Opera Lucia di LuciaROH, Covent LammermoorGarden

Verdi

24-May-1960Bellini

Bellini

Klemperer

17-Dec-1962 20-Jun-1963

New York Town Hall

Rescigno

BBC radio broadcast

Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Violetta Valéry Elvira

Beatrice

I puritani

ROH, Covent Garden

Farncombe

04-Jan-1962

La sonnambula

Amina

Santini Farncombe

Gavazzeni

Appia Pritchard Downes

Downes

Balkwill

Rome/Brooks van Horne

08-Jun-1957

Rice

Wakhévitch

Kubelík

Newstone GoldschmidtMaximowna

Donizetti

Mozart