Heather Harper
Heather Harper CBE (born May 8, 1930 in Belfast , Northern Ireland , † April 22, 2019 in London , England ) was a British opera singer ( soprano ).
Life
Harper received her early musical training in Belfast. She studied piano at Trinity College of Music in London , with voice as a second instrument, and sang with the BBC Chorus .
She made her debut as a professional soprano in 1954 in Luigi Cherubini's Medea , a performance of this opera by the Oxford University Opera Club. From 1956 to 1975 she was a member of the English Opera Group . Her prominent roles included Elsa in Richard Wagner's Lohengrin , the title role in Strauss' Arabella , Ellen Orford in Britten's Peter Grimes , and the Governess in Britten's The Turn of the Screw .
Harper was also active as a soprano in concert performances. She sang the soprano solo part in the world premiere of Britten's War Requiem in 1962; she replaced Galina Vishnevskaya just 10 days before the concert. She has also appeared on other stages around the world: at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden , at the Bayreuth Festival (1967 and 1968 as Elsa), in San Francisco and at the Metropolitan Opera (Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and in Peter Grimes ) . In 1985 she took part in the world premiere of Malcolm Williamson's song cycle Next Year in Jerusalem at the so-called Last Night of the Proms in Belfast .
Web links
- Heather Harper at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
Individual evidence
- ↑ Anthony Tommasini: Heather Harper, Beloved Soprano and Britten Interpreter, Dies at 88. In: The New York Times . April 24, 2019, accessed April 25, 2019 .
- ^ Philip Reed, Obituary for Meredith Davies. The Guardian , April 11, 2011
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harper, Heather |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British opera singer (soprano) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 8, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Belfast , Northern Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 22, 2019 |
| Place of death | London , England |