Patricia Leonard
Patricia Leonard (9 March 1936 – 28 January 2010) was an English opera singer, best known for her performances in
After working as a secretary, Leonard turned to singing in concerts and on the radio. She began to sing opera, first with
In later years, she continued to perform in
Life and career
Patricia Leonard was born in
Leonard began her career a soloist in oratorio and a recitalist for BBC Radio. She also performed with the Midland Music Makers Grand Opera Society, in such roles as Conchakovna in
D'Oyly Carte years
She soon was chosen as a regular standby for the role of Edith in The Pirates of Penzance. In 1973 she was given the roles of Leila in Iolanthe, Peep-Bo in The Mikado, Vittoria in The Gondoliers, Cousin Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore, Edith and Lady Saphir in Patience. She also performed as the understudy for Mrs. Partlett in The Sorcerer and Tessa in The Gondoliers. In 1975 she added Elsa in The Grand Duke to her repertory when the D'Oyly Carte revived that work in concert during its Centenary season, and Mad Margaret in Ruddigore. The Times called her portrayal of Margaret "variously poignant or histrionic ... yet infused with a sensual quality".[2] She also began to understudy the title role in Iolanthe and Phoebe Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard.[3]
In 1977, Leonard played the role of Hebe in the
The Times wrote that, in the contralto roles, Leonard eschewed "the more bizarre traits of these intimidating females in favour of a more balanced personification. As the domineering harridan Katisha [in The Mikado,] she convincingly demonstrated that the grotesque mask hid a fragile suffering woman. ... Her Queen of the Fairies [in Iolanthe,] outwardly so full of composure, betrayed in tantalising moments the character's repressed sensuality."[2] Long-time musical director David Steadman wrote of her portrayals, "we felt the despair of Ruth losing Frederic's attentions in Pirates, we could easily believe that her Buttercup adored Captain Corcoran in the moonlit stillness of Act Two of H.M.S. Pinafore, that Katisha was a woman with feelings ... and that the Fairy Queen was a monarch with a matronly love for her girls."[8]
Later years
After the closure of D'Oyly Carte, Leonard continued to perform in
Leonard returned to singing in concerts and oratorios, at venues such as Royal Albert Hall,
Leonard appeared frequently with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and with "Much Loved Productions" in concerts of Gilbert and Sullivan and Rodgers and Hammerstein. She appeared on BBC broadcasts and in plays, films and commercials until about 2008 and gave singing lessons.[3] Leonard and her husband toured in Britain, America, Australia and New Zealand, including in the 2005–2006 Carl Rosa tour of North America.[10] They also participated in several productions and events at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival.[2] Reviewing her performance as Katisha in 2005 for The British Theatre Guide, Peter Lathan wrote, "She was great: hard (indeed scary) exterior but with a softness underneath which was quite appealing."[11] Leonard enjoyed interpreting Stephen Sondheim's songs, making "Losing My Mind" a speciality.[8]
Personal life and death
She was a Vice-President of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society.[8] Leonard and her husband had a son Andrew, and she had a stepdaughter Katie and one granddaughter, Shannon. They lived, in later years, in Clunton, Shropshire. They also owned various hostelries for a time.[12] Leonard and Buchan enjoyed playing golf.[2]
Leonard died of throat cancer in 2010, aged 73, at the Severn Hospice, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury.[2] Her ashes rest at the Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury.[13][14]
Recordings
Her recordings with D'Oyly Carte included Leila in Iolanthe (1973), Elsa in The Grand Duke (1976), and Dame Carruthers in Yeomen (1979), and she is a soloist on the company's "Last Night" recording (1982). She appeared in the D'Oyly Carte film of H.M.S. Pinafore (1973), made at
Notes
- ^ "Patricia Leonard", The Savoyard, Vol. XV, No. 2, September 1976
- ^ a b c d e f "Patricia Leonard: principal contralto of the D'Oyly Carte opera", The Times, 22 February 2010
- ^ a b c d e Stone, David. Patricia Leonard at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte, 27 August 2001, accessed 8 February 2010
- ^ Information from biography in the 1976 D'Oyly Carte North American tour souvenir program published by Raydell Publishing & Distributing Corp., New York, 1976.
- ^ Stone, David. Michael Buchan at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte, 27 August 2001, accessed 8 February 2010
- ^ Wilson and Lloyd, p. 178
- ^ Rollins and Witts, 4th Supplement
- ^ a b c Steadman, David. "Obituaries: Patricia Leonard", Gilbert and Sullivan News, Spring 2010, p. 6
- ^ Patricia Leonard profile at the Memories of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company website
- ^ Theatre programme, Penn State Center for the Performing Arts, 25 March 2006
- ^ Lathan, Peter. The Mikado (2005), accessed 8 February 2010
- ^ Creswell, Jeffrey. Patricia Leonard at Where Are They Now Archived 22 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 8 February 2010
- ^ "Death Notices – Fox, Patricia", the Shropshire Star, 30 January 2010
- ^ Hufford, Bob. "Patricia Leonard". Find-a-Grave, accessed 22 April 2010
- ^ Shepherd, Marc. Patricia Leonard recordings at A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, accessed 8 February 2010
References
- Ayre, Leslie (1972). The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion. London: W.H. Allen & Co Ltd. Introduction by Martyn Green.
- Murray, Roderick (ed.). "A fascination that few can resist: An Interview with Patricia Leonard". The Gaiety (Spring 2005). (pp. 6–19)
- Rollins, Cyril; R. John Witts (1962). The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas: A Record of Productions, 1875–1961. Michael Joseph.
- Wilson, Robin; Frederic Lloyd (1984). Gilbert & Sullivan – The D'Oyly Carte Years: The Official Picture History. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.