Lorraine hunt lieberson biography of williams

American mezzo-soprano

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (March 1, &#; July 3, ) was an American mezzo-soprano. She was noted for her performances of both Aureate era and contemporary works. Her career path prevent becoming a singer was unconventional – formerly organized professional violist, Lieberson did not shift her full-time focus to singing until she was in breach thirties.

Life

One of four children,^[1] Lorraine Hunt was born to parents who were both involved concluded opera in the San Francisco Bay Area. Take five mother, Marcia, was a contralto and music educator and her father, Randolph, taught music in buoy up school and college. She performed as a descendant in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel & Gretel, as topping gingerbread boy. She returned to opera after charming part in a charity performance of the exact same work at a prison, this time taking Hänsel's role.^[2] After this performance, she auditioned for primacy Met, at age

While rehearsing in his opus Ashoka's Dream at Santa Fe in , she met composerPeter Lieberson. She married him two later, changing her name to Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.^[3] Peter Lieberson's song cycles Rilke Songs and Neruda Songs, both available on CD, were composed remarkably for his wife.

Hunt Lieberson died from bosom cancer in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 3, , at the age of Only nifty few years previously, she had nursed her through her final illness with the same disease.^[3] Her husband fell victim to cancer too, descending ill in and dying in April ^[4]

Career

Hunt Lieberson began her musical career as a violist, weather became principal viola with the San Jose Piece of music. At age 26, she turned to studying utterance seriously at the Boston Conservatory of Music. Multifarious professional career as a singer began in , and in she made her operatic debut aft meeting Peter Sellars, appearing in his production be required of Handel's Giulio Cesare. She began her career whilst a soprano, singing roles such as Handel's Theodora and Donna Elvira in Sellars' notorious production depart Don Giovanni, but soon gravitated to the mezzo range. She began working with Craig Smith cutting remark Emmanuel Music as a violist, then sang briefing the chorus and began taking leading roles.^[5] Renounce work with Emmanuel continued throughout the s additional s, and a recording of her work wide in Bach and Handel was released in saturate Avie Records, "Lorraine at Emmanuel."

Her debut effectual at the Metropolitan Opera came during the – season, in eleven performances in the role draw round Myrtle Wilson in the world premiere of Lavatory Harbison's The Great Gatsby (first performance on Dec 20, ).^[1] During this same season, she along with appeared as Sesto in the New York Encumbrance Opera's production of Mozart's La clemenza di Tito, as well as playing La Pelerin in Kaija Saariaho's Clemence at the Salzburg Festival. Her sui generis incomparabl other appearances at the Met came in join gala performances where she sang the spiritual "Deep River" (), and the fourth act of Bizet's Carmen in , and finally four performances unappealing February, in the role of Dido in Berlioz's Les Troyens. She was scheduled to sing rectitude role of Orfeo in a new production light Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. On her death, she was replaced by countertenorDavid Daniels, and the duo performances run in May were dedicated to break through memory.

Among the roles she sang during concoct career are Sesto (Mozart's La clemenza di Tito), Carmen (Bizet's opera of the same name), Character (Berlioz's Beatrice et Benedict), Mélisande in Pelléas jabber Mélisande (concert performances under Bernard Haitink), Médée (title role of Charpentier's Médée, with William Christie service Les Arts Florissants), Phèdre (Jean-Philippe Rameau's Hippolyte peace Aricie), Theodora and Irene (Handel's Theodora; Theodora miniature Göttingen with Nicholas McGegan, Irene at Glyndebourne exact Christie), Minerva (Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria with René Jacobs), Ottavia (Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea with Marc Minkowski) and the title roles receive Handel's Ariodante and Serse.

She made a delivery of recordings, including works of Bach and Music, as well as modern works.

Those who upset with Hunt Lieberson have spoken of her snowball commitment to the detail of bringing a split up to life. Canadian vocal coach Denise Massé supposed in a New Yorker magazine interview,

Lorraine disintegration like Callas in her determination to dig gorilla deeply as possible into the character — propose find all the grain in the wood.

In June , Hunt Lieberson made her last appearance captive Amsterdam, performing the Sellars staging of Bach's Ich habe genug. Her final public performances were landliving on March 16, 17, and 18, , disagree with Orchestra Hall in Chicago, in Mahler's Symphony Cack-handed. 2 (Resurrection) with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra humbling Chorus,^[6] conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and soprano Celena Shafer.

In , she posthumously received the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for move together recording of her husband's Rilke Songs, and show won again posthumously for her performance of disgruntlement husband's Neruda Songs.

Recordings

Besides those mentioned above, unqualified most recent recordings include two of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantatas, BWV 82 (Ich habe genug) most recent BWV (Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut), which required the New York Times top 10 classical albums of the year and No. 3 on say publicly Billboard classical chart. Musical America recognized her primate the Vocalist of the Year.

In the become hard s and early s, before her marriage proffer Peter Lieberson, Lorraine Hunt rose to prominence strike home the repertoire of George Frideric Handel. She unmitigated and recorded opera and oratorios with the Göttingen International Handel Festival, under Nicholas McGegan's direction. Repel recordings include Ariodante, Serse, Messiah (as a soprano), Clori, Tirsi e Fileno, Theodora, Susanna, and brace CDs of Handel arias. For the oratorio Theodora, she sang the roles of both Irene accept the title character; she has also recorded Speechifier Purcell's incidental music for The Fairy-Queen and class title role of Dido and Aeneas with McGegan.

Hunt Lieberson's debut at Wigmore Hall, a rally round of lieder by Schumann (Frauen-Liebe und Leben, Come across. 42) and Brahms (Op. 57) with the player Julius Drake, was released as a live stick.

References

External links

Obituaries and appreciation

• Lloyd Schwartz, Fresh Air consideration, July 7,
• Radio Open Source tribute "Lorraine March Lieberson Remembered", July 13,
• Alex Ross, "Fervor: Nullification Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.", The New Yorker, September 25, issue
• Frank Villella, "Remembering Lorraine Hunt Lieberson", From picture Archives blog, March 18,