Episode 280. Heather Harper Revisited
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SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORM
The beloved Irish soprano Heather Harper died at the age of 88 on 22 April 2019 in London. In music ranging from the Baroque through the modern eras, she displayed an easy mastery as did very few others, as well as a radiant voice and demeanor that made her a favorite collaborator of some of the greatest conductors and composers of the Twentieth Century. Perhaps no other singer matched her accomplishment within such a wide range of styles. This episode was originally published as an addendum to an episode I published in the second season of Countermelody. It highlights Heather Harper in two Richard Strauss roles, Ariadne and the Kaiserin; and features two works which she created, Elizabeth Maconchy’s setting of Cecil Day-Lewis’s dramatic monologue Ariadne, premiered in 1971, and Michael Berkeley and Ian McEwan’s searing 1983 oratorio Or Shall We Die? Harper is also featured in rare recordings of repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Busoni; Offenbach to Dallapiccola. A forgotten 1964 recording of Harper’s transcendent reading of “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben” from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion rounds off the episode.
RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
All tracks feature Heather Harper, soprano
Richard Strauss, Hermann von Gilm: Zueignung, Op. 10/8. Richard Hickox, London Symphony Orchestra [1988]
Claudio Monteverdi, Bartolomeo Magni: Quel sguardo sdegnosetto (Scherzi musicali). Raymond Leppard, Bach Festival Ensemble [1967]
Jacques Offenbach, Jules Barbier, Michel Carré [after E.T.A. Hoffmann]: C’est une chanson d’amour (Les Contes d’Hoffmann). Sándor Kónya, Peter Maag, Orchestra of the Teatro Colón [live 1970]
Elizabeth Maconchy, Cecil Day-Lewis: Ariadne: A Dramatic Monologue. Raymond Leppard, English Chamber Orchestra [1972]
Richard Strauss, Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Es gibt ein Reich (Ariadne auf Naxos). Edo de Waart, Orchestsra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden [live 05 December 1976]
Ferruccio Busoni: Er ruft mich (Doktor Faust). Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra [live Royal Festival Hall 13 November 1959]
Luigi Dallapiccola, Alcaeus (translated Salvatore Quasimodo): Sex Carmina Alcaei. Frederik Prausnitz, English Chamber Orchestra [1967]
Richard Strauss, Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Kennst du die Schwelle (Die Frau ohne Schatten). Ruth Hesse, Georg Solti, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden [live 05 April 1976]
George Frideric Handel, Thomas Morell: O lovely peace (Judas Maccabaeus). Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Johannes Somary, English Chamber Orchestra [1972]
Michael Berkeley, Ian McEwan: All night I searched for my daughter (Or Shall We Die?). Heather Harper, Richard Hickox, London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus [1984]
Johann Sebastian Bach: Er hat uns allen wohlgetan… Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben (Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244). Heather Harper, Hans Swarowsky, Wiener Symphoniker [1964]