John Shirley Quirk
John Shirley-Quirk , CBE (born August 28, 1931 in Liverpool , † April 7, 2014 in Bath ) was a British opera and oratorio singer ( bass baritone ).
Life
Shirley-Quirk first studied violin and chemistry in Liverpool, but eventually turned to singing. In 1957 he moved to London , where he continued his education. In 1961 he made his debut in Glyndebourne , in the little part of the doctor in Pelléas et Mélisande . In 1964 he became a member of the English Opera Group . At the latest at this point in time he aroused the interest of Benjamin Britten because of his pleasant, flawlessly articulating voice, as well as his charisma. Shirley-Quirk became one of the favorite interpreters of the composer and conductor Britten. He set a monument to his art and his vocal flexibility in his last opera and cast him in the world premiere of Death in Venice as an opponent of "Gustav von Aschenbach", Shirley-Quirk appeared as such in eight different guises.
Shirley-Quirk later worked as a singing teacher at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore .
Discography (selection)
- With Benjamin Britten : A Midsummer Night's Dream , Billy Budd , Owen Wingrave , The Rape of Lucretia , Death in Venice (recording directed by Steuart Bedford under the supervision of the terminally ill composer); The Dream of Gerontius ( Edward Elgar - 1972), scenes from Goethe's "Faust" ( Robert Schumann )
- With Pierre Boulez : The Jacob's Ladder , Kol Nidre (both by Arnold Schönberg )
- With Malcolm Sargent : Requiem ( Frederick Delius )
- With David Willcocks : Cantata BWV 147 ( Johann Sebastian Bach )
- With Esa-Pekka Salonen : Les Espaces du sommeil ( Witold Lutosławski )
- With Simon Rattle : The Dream of Gerontius (1987)
- With David Shallon : Symphony No. 13 (Shostakovich)
Web links
- Sound carrier with John Shirley-Quirk in the catalog of the German National Library
- John Shirley-Quirk in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- John Shirley-Quirk at Bach Cantatas (English)
- Shirley-Quirk's teaching position
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shirley-Quirk, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British opera and oratorio singer (bass baritone) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 28, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Liverpool , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 7, 2014 |
| Place of death | Bath , England |