Dame Joan Sutherland was probably the greatest dramatic coloratura soprano of the 20th century. A machine, in a sense, but not without warmth, expression, and musicianship. We will never see or hear her likes again.
I would go further and suggest she was technically the greatest singer who ever lived. We don't have recordings of many of the legendary superstar singers of the 19th Cent. but we can research comments by conductors, empresarios and critics, and we find that they all cheerfully transposed, and also omitted the most difficult sections of operas that Dame Joan made sound like child's play! The divine Patti omitted big chunks of La Traviata. Dame Joan is the only major singer I have heard sing the horribly difficult final two pages of the Fledermaus Czardas. And on and on.....
I had the great fortune to see her in most of her roles onstage from 1973 onwards. And met her backstage (every inch the diva), along with her husband who, contrary to popular lore, was very pleasant and friendly. Her voice defied description - no one like her before or since, although there were obviously other great sopranos who specialized in bel canto.
A lovely tribute- but with one error. Jennings says that in 1959 Sutherland realized her dream of singing at Covent Garden. As many of you know, Joan had been singing at Covent Garden for some years by that point. (If memory serves me correctly, her debut was as the First Lady in The Magic Flute in 1951. 1959 was when she achieved stardom with her first Lucia.)
This wasn't her final performance. It was her final staged operatic performance. Her final singing performance was a few months later on New Years Eve 1990/91 as a party guest in a performance of Die Fledermause alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne. She sang duets with Pavarotti and with Ms. Horne and finished with Home Sweet Home.
I wish Dame Joan Sutherland had sung a bit longerーat least up until she turned 70. She retired too early; she could have silenced cynical critics longer.
I don’t think she cared about cynical critics, one way or another. She simply had had enough, and wanted to pursue her other hobbies and interests, including a leading role in a film about early Australian settlers, “On Our Selection.”
Dame Joan will live the hearts of many for generations to come!
Dame Joan Sutherland was probably the greatest dramatic coloratura soprano of the 20th century. A machine, in a sense, but not without warmth, expression, and musicianship. We will never see or hear her likes again.
I would go further and suggest she was technically the greatest singer who ever lived. We don't have recordings of many of the legendary superstar singers of the 19th Cent. but we can research comments by conductors, empresarios and critics, and we find that they all cheerfully transposed, and also omitted the most difficult sections of operas that Dame Joan made sound like child's play! The divine Patti omitted big chunks of La Traviata. Dame Joan is the only major singer I have heard sing the horribly difficult final two pages of the Fledermaus Czardas. And on and on.....
Lovely final comments about a decent human being. Happy Birthday Joan! RIP
What a love tribute. I miss both Joan and Peter so much.
I had the great fortune to see her in most of her roles onstage from 1973 onwards. And met her backstage (every inch the diva), along with her husband who, contrary to popular lore, was very pleasant and friendly. Her voice defied description - no one like her before or since, although there were obviously other great sopranos who specialized in bel canto.
A lovely tribute- but with one error. Jennings says that in 1959 Sutherland realized her dream of singing at Covent Garden. As many of you know, Joan had been singing at Covent Garden for some years by that point. (If memory serves me correctly, her debut was as the First Lady in The Magic Flute in 1951. 1959 was when she achieved stardom with her first Lucia.)
Many thanks for this information. It's easy for a small mistake like this (probably written by an overworked and distracted writer) to be perpetuated.
This wasn't her final performance. It was her final staged operatic performance. Her final singing performance was a few months later on New Years Eve 1990/91 as a party guest in a performance of Die Fledermause alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne. She sang duets with Pavarotti and with Ms. Horne and finished with Home Sweet Home.
1952 it was.
Joan said in an interview that she "joined the Garden company in the 1952/53 season".
RIP Dame Joan & Peter Jennings.
Divina
I wish Dame Joan Sutherland had sung a bit longerーat least up until she turned 70. She retired too early; she could have silenced cynical critics longer.
I don’t think she cared about cynical critics, one way or another. She simply had had enough, and wanted to pursue her other hobbies and interests, including a leading role in a film about early Australian settlers, “On Our Selection.”
emotion-free, soprano machine👎
No.... just not histrionic. Classy musianship. Humble.