Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson | |
---|---|
San Francisco, California | |
Died | 3 July 2006 | (aged 52)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Opera singer (mezzo-soprano) |
Years active | 1985–2006 |
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (March 1, 1954 – July 3, 2006) was an American mezzo-soprano. She was noted for her performances of both Baroque era and contemporary works. Her career path to becoming a singer was unconventional – formerly a professional violist, Lieberson did not shift her full-time focus to singing until she was in her thirties.
Life
One of four children,, at age 29.
While rehearsing in his opera Ashoka's Dream at Santa Fe in 1997, she met composer Peter Lieberson. She married him two years 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 especially for his wife.
Hunt Lieberson died from breast cancer in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 3, 2006, at the age of 52. Only a few years previously, she had nursed her sister through her final illness with the same disease.[3] Her husband fell victim to cancer too, falling ill in 2007 and dying in April 2011.[4]
Career
Hunt Lieberson began her musical career as a violist, and became principal
Her debut performance at the Metropolitan Opera came during the 1999–2000 season, in eleven performances in the role of Myrtle Wilson in the world premiere of John Harbison's The Great Gatsby (first performance on December 20, 1999).[1] During this same season, she also appeared as Sesto in the New York City 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 only other appearances at the Met came in two gala performances where she sang the spiritual "Deep River" (1999), and the fourth act of Bizet's Carmen in 2000, and finally four performances in February, 2003 in the role of Dido in Berlioz's Les Troyens. She was scheduled to sing the role of Orfeo in a new production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. On her death, she was replaced by countertenor David Daniels, and the four performances run in May 2007 were dedicated to her memory.
Among the roles she sang during her career are Sesto (
She made a number of recordings, including works of Bach and Handel, as well as modern works.
Those who worked with Hunt Lieberson have spoken of her intense commitment to the detail of bringing a piece to life. Canadian vocal coach Denise Massé said in a New Yorker magazine interview,
Lorraine is like Callas in her determination to dig as deeply as possible into the character — to find all the grain in the wood.
In June 2005, Hunt Lieberson made her last appearance in Amsterdam, performing the Sellars staging of Bach's
In 2007, she posthumously received the
Recordings
Besides those mentioned above, her most recent recordings include two of
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, before her marriage to Peter Lieberson, Lorraine Hunt rose to prominence in the repertoire of George Frideric Handel. She performed and recorded opera and oratorios with the Göttingen International Handel Festival, under Nicholas McGegan's direction. Her recordings include Ariodante, Serse, Messiah (as a soprano), Clori, Tirsi e Fileno, Theodora, Susanna, and two CDs of Handel arias. For the oratorio Theodora, she sang the roles of both Irene and the title character; she has also recorded Henry Purcell's incidental music for The Fairy-Queen and the title role of Dido and Aeneas with McGegan.
Hunt Lieberson's 1999 debut at
References
- ^ a b Mary Rourke and Chris Pasles (2006-07-05). "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, 52; Mezzo-Soprano of Great Range". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- ^ Terry Gross, Fresh Air, 1996
- ^ a b Anthony Tommasini (2006-07-05). "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Luminous Mezzo, Dies at 52". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- ^ Zachary Woolfe (2011-04-24). "Peter Lieberson, Composer Inspired by Buddhism, Dies at 64". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- ^ Craig Smith obituary Boston Globe
- ^ Mark Swed (2006-07-07). "Fearless, onstage and in life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
External links
- Neruda Songs, new album on Nonesuch
- Lorraine Hunt Lieberson at IMDb
- Information about Lorraine Hunt Lieberson at the Wayback Machine (archived October 28, 2009)
- 1996 Terry Gross, Fresh Air interview, 14 minutes
- NPR story on Hunt Lieberson, 2002
- The New Yorker Profile, "The Soul Singer: A mezzo with the most potent voice since Callas." January 5, 2004 issue
- Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sings Handel arias
Obituaries and appreciation
- Lloyd Schwartz, Fresh Air appreciation, July 7, 2006
- Radio Open Source tribute "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Remembered", July 13, 2006
- Alex Ross, "Fervor: Remembering Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.", The New Yorker, September 25, 2006 issue
- Frank Villella, "Remembering Lorraine Hunt Lieberson", From the Archives blog, March 18, 2016