Alcina (HWV 34) is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel. The author of the libretto L'isola di Alcina is unknown, but it was set by Riccardo Broschi, famous castrato Farinelli's brother and most certainly Handel's immediate source. The plot was taken from - but partly altered for better conformity - Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furioso (like those of the Handel operas Orlando and Ariodante), an epic poem set in the time of Charlemagne's wars against Islam. The opera contains several musical sequences with opportunity for dance: these were composed for dancer Marie Sallé.

Performance history

Alcina was composed for Handel's first season at the Covent Garden Theatre, London. It premiered on April 16, 1735. Like the composer's other works in the opera seria genre, it fell into obscurity; after a revival in Brunswick in 1738 it was not performed again until a production in Leipzig in 1928.

The Australian soprano Joan Sutherland sang the role in a production by Franco Zeffirelli in which she made her debut at La Fenice in February 1960 and at the Dallas Opera in November of that year. Another major production was that of Robert Carsen, staged originally for the Opera de Paris in 1999 and repeated at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, which featured Renée Fleming in the title role.

Roles

Synopsis

Prologue

The background of the opera comes from the poem Orlando Furioso. The heroic knight Ruggiero is destined to a short but glorious life, and a benevolent magician is always whisking him away from the arms of his fiancée, Bradamante. Bradamante is not the type to put up with the constant disappearance of her lover, and she spends vast portions of the poem in full armor chasing after him. Just before the opera begins she has rescued him from an enchanted castle, only to have her flying horse (a hippogriff) take a fancy to Ruggiero and fly off with him. Ruggiero and the hippogriff land on an island in the middle of the ocean. As the hippogriff begins to eat the leaves of a myrtle bush, Ruggiero is startled to hear the bush begin to speak. The bush reveals that it was once a living soul named Sir Astolfo, and the island belongs to the sister sorceresses Alcina and Morgana. The beautiful Alcina seduces every knight that lands on her isle, but soon tires of her lovers and changes them into stones, animals, plants, or anything that strikes her fancy. Despite Astolfo's warning, Ruggiero strides off to meet this sorceress— and falls under her spell.

Act 1

Bradamante, again searching for her lover, arrives on Alcina's island with Ruggiero's former tutor, Melisso. Dressed in armor, Bradamante looks like a young man and goes by the name of her own brother, Ricciardo. She and Melisso possess a magic ring which enables the wearer to see through illusion, which they plan to use to break Alcina's spells and release her captives.

The first person they meet is the sorceress Morgana. Barely human and with no understanding of true love, she immediately abandons her own lover Oronte for the handsome 'Ricciardo.' Morgana conveys the visitors to Alcina's court, where Bradamante is dismayed to discover that Ruggiero is besotted with Alcina and in a state of complete amnesia about his previous life. Also at Alcina's court is a boy, Oberto, who is looking for his father, Astolfo, who was last seen heading toward this island. Bradamante guesses that Astolfo is now transformed into something, but she holds her peace and concerns herself with Ruggiero. Bradamante and Melisso rebuke Ruggiero for his desertion, but he can't think of anything except Alcina.

Meanwhile, Oronte discovers that Morgana has fallen in love with 'Ricciardo,' and challenges 'him' to a duel. Morgana stops the fight, but Oronte is in a foul mood and takes it out on Ruggiero. He tells the young man exactly how Alcina treats her former lovers and adds that, as far as he can tell, Alcina has fallen in love with the newcomer, Ricciardo. Ruggiero is horrified and overwhelms Alcina with his jealous fury. Things get even worse when 'Ricciardo' enters and pretends to admire Alcina. Alcina calms Ruggiero, but Bradamante is so upset at seeing her fiancé wooed before her very eyes that she reveals her true identity to Ruggiero. Melisso hastily contradicts her and Ruggiero becomes very confused. , c. 1550 ]] Alcina tells Morgana that she plans to turn Ricciardo into an animal, just to show Ruggiero how much she really loves him. Morgana begs Ricciardo to escape the island and Alcina's clutches, but 'he' says he'd rather stay, as he loves another. Morgana believes that this other person is herself, and the act ends with her triumphant aria "Tornami a vagheggiar."

Act 2

Melisso recalls Ruggiero to reason and duty by letting him wear the magic ring: under its influence, Ruggiero sees the island as it really is--a desert, peopled with monsters. Appalled, he realizes he must leave, and sings the famous aria "Verdi prati" ("Green meadows") where he admits that even though he knows the island and Alcina are mere illusion, their beauty will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Melisso warns Ruggiero that he can’t just leave; Alcina still wields immense power, and he should cover his escape by telling her that he wishes to go hunting. Ruggiero agrees, but, thoroughly bewildered by the magic and illusion surrounding him, he refuses to believe his eyes when he at last sees Bradamante as herself, believing that she may be another of Alcina's illusions. Bradamante is in despair, as is Alcina. Convinced of Ruggiero's indifference, she enters to turn Ricciardo into an animal, and Ruggiero has to pull himself together quickly and convince the sorceress that he doesn’t need any proof of her love. It is at this point that the audience realises that Alcina genuinely loves Ruggiero; from now until the end of the opera, she is depicted sympathetically.

Oronte realizes that Ricciardo, Melisso and Ruggiero are in some sort of alliance, and Morgana and Alcina realise they are being deceived. But it is too late: Alcina's powers depend on illusion and, as true love enters her life, her magic powers slip away. As the act ends, Alcina tries to call up evil spirits to stop Ruggiero from leaving her, but her magic fails her--symbolized by the orchestra falling silent as Alcina continues to sing her invocation.

Act 3

After this the opera finishes swiftly. Morgana and Oronte try to rebuild their relationship; she returns to him and he rebuffs her but (once she is offstage) admits he loves her still. Ruggiero returns to his proper heroic status and sings an aria accompanied by high horns; Oberto is introduced to a lion, to whom he feels strangely attached, and Alcina sings a desolate aria in which she longs for oblivion.

Bradamante and Ruggiero decide that they need to destroy the source of Alcina's magic, usually represented as an urn. Alcina pleads with them, but Ruggiero is deaf to her appeals and smashes the urn. As he does so, everything is both ruined and restored. Alcina's magic palace crumbles to dust and she and Morgana sink into the ground, but Alcina's lovers are returned to their proper selves. The lion turns into Oberto’s father, Astolfo, and other people stumble on, “I was a rock,” says one, “I a tree” says another, and “I a wave in the ocean…” All the humans sing of their relief and joy, and Alcina is forgotten.

Notes

References

The second of the two volume definitive reference on the operas of Handel

External links

Libretto from www.librettidopera.it

Summary from Opera-Opera.com (Second section down)

from Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera). Video clip

Full score (German Handel Society: Leipzig. 1868)

Category:Italian-language operas Category:Matter of France Category:Opera seria Category:1735 operas Category:Operas by George Frideric Handel Category:Operas Category:Operas based on Ariosto

Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (7 November 192610 October 2010)

Early life and career

Joan Sutherland was born to Scottish parents in Sydney, and attended St Catherine's School in the suburb of Waverley. As a child, she listened to and imitated her mother's singing exercises. Her mother, a mezzo-soprano, had taken voice lessons but never considered making a career as a professional singer. Sutherland was 18 years old when she began seriously studying voice with John and Aida Dickens. She made her concert debut in Sydney, as Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, in 1947. In 1951, she made her stage debut in Eugene Goossens's Judith. In 1951, after winning Australia's most important competition, the Sun Aria, she went to London to further her studies at the Opera School of the Royal College of Music with Clive Carey. She was engaged by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as a utility soprano, and made her debut there on 28 October 1952, as the First Lady in The Magic Flute, followed in November by a few performances as Clotilde in Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, with Maria Callas as Norma.

Being an admirer of Kirsten Flagstad in her early career, she trained to be a Wagnerian dramatic soprano. In December 1952, she sang her first leading role at the Royal Opera House, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera. Other roles included Agathe in Der Freischütz, the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Desdemona in Otello, Gilda in Rigoletto, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Pamina in The Magic Flute. In 1953, she sang the role of Lady Rich in Benjamin Britten's Gloriana a few months after its world premiere, and created the role of Jennifer in Michael Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage, on 27 January 1955.

Sutherland married Australian conductor and pianist Richard Bonynge on 16 October 1954. Their son, Adam, was born in 1956. Bonynge gradually convinced her that Wagner might not be her Fach, and that since she could produce high notes and coloratura with great ease, she should perhaps explore the bel canto repertoire. She eventually settled in this Fach, spending most of her career singing dramatic coloratura soprano.

In 1957, she appeared in Handel's Alcina with the Handel Opera Society, and in Donizetti's Emilia di Liverpool, in which performances her bel canto potential was clearly demonstrated, vindicating her husband's judgement. The following year she sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni in Vancouver.

In 1958, at the Royal Opera House, after singing, "Let the Bright Seraphim", from Handel's oratorio, Samson, she received a ten minute-long standing ovation.

La Stupenda

In 1959, Sutherland was invited to sing Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera House in a production conducted by Tullio Serafin and staged by Franco Zeffirelli. The role of Edgardo was sung by her fellow Australian Kenneth Neate, who had replaced the scheduled tenor at short notice. her biggest achievement was to sing the title role in Esclarmonde. She considered those performances and recordings her best.

Retirement years

After retirement, Sutherland made relatively few public appearances, preferring a quiet life at her home in Les Avants, Switzerland. One exception was her 1994 address at a lunch organised by Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. In that address, she complained about having to be interviewed by a clerk of Chinese or Indian background when applying to renew her Australian passport. Her comments caused controversy among some sections of the community at the time. Her funeral was held on 14 October and Opera Australia planned a tribute to her. Artistic director of Opera Australia, Lyndon Terracini, said "We won't see her like again. She had a phenomenal range, size and quality of voice. We simply don't hear that any more." Sutherland is survived by her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said, "She was of course one of the great opera voices of the 20th century," adding that Dame Joan showed a lot of "quintessential Australian values. She was described as down to earth despite her status as a diva. On behalf of all Australians I would like to extend my condolences to her husband Richard and son Adam and their extended family at this difficult time. I know many Australians will be reflecting on her life's work today."

Memorial service

A State Memorial Service on 9 November 2010, arranged by Opera Australia, was held at the Sydney Opera House. Speakers at the service were Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia; Marie Bashir, the Governor of New South Wales; Moffatt Oxenbould, the former Artistic Director of Opera Australia; and Sutherland's son, Adam Bonynge. The service was broadcast live by both ABC1 television and ABC Classic FM (radio) and streamed globally by ABC News 24.

Honours and awards

During her career and after, Sutherland received many honours and awards. In 1961, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). That year she was also named the Australian of the Year.

In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 9 June 1975, she was in the first group of people to be named Companions of the Order of Australia (AC) (the order had been created only in February 1975). She was elevated within the Order of the British Empire from Commander to Dame Commander (DBE) in the New Year's Honours of 1979.

On 29 November 1991, the Queen bestowed on Dame Joan the Order of Merit (OM). In January 2004 she received the Australia Post Australian Legends Award which honours Australians who have contributed to the Australian identity and culture. Two stamps featuring Joan Sutherland were issued on Australia Day 2004 to mark the award. Later in 2004, she received a Kennedy Center Honor for her outstanding achievement throughout her career.

Sutherland House and the Dame Joan Sutherland Centre, both at St Catherine's School, Waverley, and the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (JSPAC), Penrith, are all named in her honour.

John Paul College, a leading private school in Queensland, Australia, dedicated its newly established facility the Dame Joan Sutherland Music Centre in 1991. Sutherland visited the centre for its opening and again in 1996.

Roles

Sutherland performed live the following complete roles. {|class="wikitable sortable" !width="90px"|First performance!!Composer!!Work!!Role!!House!!Conductor!!Director!!class="unsortable"|Remarks |- |Jun 1947||Handel||Acis and Galatea||Galatea||Eastwood Masonic Hall, Sydney||||||Concert performance |- |Aug 1947||Purcell||Dido and Aeneas||Dido||Lyceum Club, Sydney||||||Concert performance |- |15 Jul 1950||Handel||Samson||Dalila and Israelite woman||Sydney Town Hall||||||Concert performance; Sutherland made her professional role debut as the Israelite woman on 14 October 1958 |- |09 Jul 1951||Goossens||Judith||Judith||Sydney Conservatorium of Music||Goossens||||Sutherland's first complete staged opera |- |16 Jul 1952||Puccini||Il tabarro||Giorgetta||Parry Theatre, RCM||Richard Austin||Peter Rice/Pauline Elliot|| |- |28 Oct 1952||Mozart||The Magic Flute||First lady||ROH, Covent Garden||Pritchard||Messel||Sutherland's professional debut |- |03 Nov 1952||Verdi||Aida||High Priestess||ROH, Covent Garden||Barbirolli||Cruddas|| |- |08 Nov 1952||Bellini||Norma||Clotilde||ROH, Covent Garden||Gui||Barlow|| |- |29 Dec 1952||Verdi||Un ballo in maschera||Amelia||ROH, Covent Garden||Pritchard||Barlow/Stone||Sutherland's first leading role |- |24 Feb 1953||Mozart||The Marriage of Figaro||Countess Almaviva||ROH tour, Edinburgh||J Gibson||Gerard|| |- |13 May 1953||Strauss||Elektra||Overseer||ROH, Covent Garden||Kleiber||Lambert|| |- |11 Aug 1953||Britten||Gloriana||Lady Rich||ROH tour, Bulawayo|||||| |- |19 Oct 1953||Wagner||Die Walküre||Helmwige||ROH, Covent Garden||Stiedry||Pemberton|| |- |02 Nov 1953||Bizet||Carmen||Frasquita||ROH, Covent Garden||Pritchard||Wakhévitch|| |- |04 Feb 1954||Verdi||Aida||Aida||ROH, Covent Garden||E Young||Cruddas|| |- |23 Mar 1954||Weber||Der Freischütz||Agathe||ROH, Covent Garden||Downes||Furse|| |- |30 Apr 1954||Piccinni||La buona figliuola||Lucinda||||Mackerras||||BBC radio broadcast |- |27 May 1954||Wagner||Der Ring des Nibelungen||Woglinde and Woodbird||ROH, Covent Garden||Stiedry||Hurry||Sutherland also sang the role of Helmwige, which she had sung previously; the other dates of the cycle were 2, 8, and 17 June |- |17 Nov 1954||Offenbach||Les contes d'Hoffmann||Antonia||ROH, Covent Garden||Downes||Wakhévitch|| |- |27 Jan 1955||Tippett||The Midsummer Marriage||Jenifer||ROH, Covent Garden||Pritchard||Hepworth||World premiere; Sutherland created the role |- |28 Feb 1955||Offenbach||Les contes d'Hoffmann||Giulietta||ROH tour, Glasgow||Downes||Wakhévitch|| |- |19 Jun 1955||Offenbach||Les contes d'Hoffmann||Olympia||ROH, Covent Garden||Downes||Wakhévitch|| |- |30 Sep 1955||Weber||Euryanthe||Euryanthe||||Stiedry||||BBC radio broadcast |- |30 Oct 1955||Bizet||Carmen||Micaela||ROH, Covent Garden||Downes||Wakhévitch|| |- |11 Mar 1956||Mozart||La clemenza di Tito||Vitellia||||Pritchard||||BBC radio broadcast |- |10 Nov 1956||Mozart||The Magic Flute||Pamina||ROH, Covent Garden||J Gibson||Messel|| |- |28 Jan 1957||Wagner||Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg||Eva||ROH, Covent Garden||Kubelík||Wakhévitch|| |- |19 Mar 1957||Handel||Alcina||Alcina||St Pancras Town Hall||Farncombe||||Concert performance; Sutherland first performed this role on stage on 19 February 1960 |- |08 Jun 1957||Verdi||Rigoletto||Gilda||ROH, Covent Garden||Downes||Gellner|| |- |05 Jul 1957||Mozart||Der Schauspieldirektor||Mme Hertz||Glyndebourne Festival Opera||Balkwill||Rice|| |- |16 Aug 1957||Scarlatti||Mitridate Eupatore||Laodice||||Appia||||BBC radio broadcast |- |08 Sep 1957||Donizetti||Emilia di Liverpool||Emilia||||Pritchard||||BBC radio broadcast |- |21 Dec 1957||Verdi||Otello||Desdemona||ROH, Covent Garden||Downes||Wakhévitch|| |- |16 Jan 1958||Poulenc||Dialogues of the Carmelites||Mme Lidoine||ROH, Covent Garden||Kubelík||Wakhévitch|| |- |24 May 1958||Haydn||Applausus Musicus||Temperantia||||Newstone||||BBC radio broadcast |- |26 Jul 1958||Mozart||Don Giovanni||Donna Anna||Vancouver Opera||Goldschmidt||Maximowna|| |- |17 Feb 1959||Donizetti||Lucia di Lammermoor||Lucia||ROH, Covent Garden||Serafin||Zeffirelli||This performance marked the beginning of Sutherland's international career |- |24 Jun 1959||Handel||Rodelinda||Rodelinda||Sadler's Wells Theatre||Farncombe||Pidcock|| |- |08 Jan 1960||Verdi||La traviata||Violetta Valéry||ROH, Covent Garden||Santi||Fedorovitch|| |- |24 May 1960||Bellini||I puritani||Elvira||Glyndebourne Festival Opera||Gui||Heeley|| |- |19 Oct 1960||Bellini||La sonnambula||Amina||ROH, Covent Garden||Serafin||Sanjust|| |- |21 Feb 1961||Bellini||Beatrice di Tenda||Beatrice||New York Town Hall||Rescigno||||Concert performance; Sutherland first performed this role on stage on 10 May 1961 |- |04 Jan 1962||Mozart||The Magic Flute||The Queen of the Night||ROH, Covent Garden||Klemperer||Eisler|| |- |28 May 1962||Meyerbeer||Les Huguenots||Maguerite de Valois||La Scala||Gavazzeni||Nicola Benois|| |- |17 Dec 1962||Rossini||Semiramide||Semiramide||La Scala||Santini|||| |- |20 Jun 1963||Handel||Giulio Cesare||Cleopatra||Sadler's Wells Theatre||Farncombe||Warre|| |- |17 Oct 1963||Bellini||Norma||Norma||Vancouver Opera||Bonynge||McLance/Mess|| |- |09 Mar 1965||Gounod||Faust||Marguerite||Connecticut Opera||Bonynge||Rome/Brooks van Horne|| |- |02 Jun 1966||Donizetti||La fille du régiment||Marie||ROH, Covent Garden||Bonynge||Anni/Escoffier|| |- |10 Apr 1967||Delibes||Lakmé||Lakmé||Seattle Opera||Bonynge|||| |- |21 May 1967||Gluck||Orfeo ed Euridice||Euridice||Theater an der Wien||Bonynge||Ludwig|| |- |12 Nov 1971||Donizetti||Maria Stuarda||Maria Stuarda||San Francisco Opera||Bonynge||Pizzi|| |- |26 Oct 1972||Donizetti||Lucrezia Borgia||Lucrezia||Vancouver Opera||Bonynge||Varona|| |- |23 Oct 1974||Massenet||Esclarmonde||Esclarmonde||San Francisco Opera||Bonynge||Montressor|| |- |12 Sep 1975||Verdi||Il trovatore||Leonora||San Francisco Opera||Bonynge||Hager/Skalicki|| |- |22 Apr 1976||Lehár||The Merry Widow||Hanna Glavari||Vancouver Opera||Bonynge||Varona|| |- |16 Jul 1977||Puccini||Suor Angelica||Suor Angelica||Sydney Opera House||Bonynge||Digby|| |- |23 Sep 1977||Massenet||Le roi de Lahore||Sita||Vancouver Opera||Bonynge||Mariani|| |- |04 Jul 1979||Mozart||Idomeneo||Electra||Sydney Opera House||Bonynge||Truscott|| |- |02 Jul 1980||Verdi||I masnadieri||Amalia||Sydney Opera House||Bonynge||Lees/Stennett|| |- |22 May 1983||Cilea||Adriana Lecouvreur||Adriana||San Diego Opera||Bonynge||O'Hearn/Mess|| |- |22 Jun 1984||Donizetti||Anna Bolena||Anna Bolena||Canadian Opera Company, Toronto||Bonynge||Pascoe/Stennett|| |- |04 Oct 1985||Thomas||Hamlet||Ophélie||Canadian Opera Company, Toronto||Bonynge||Shalicki/Digby/Stennett|| |}

Recordings

Recordings include: ;Vincenzo Bellini

Beatrice di Tenda—Joan Sutherland (Beatrice), Luciano Pavarotti (Orombello), Cornelius Opthof (Filippo), Josephine Veasey (Agnese), Joseph Ward (Anichino/Rizzardo), Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge—Decca

I puritani—Joan Sutherland (Elvira), Pierre Duval (Arturo), Renato Capecchi (Riccardo), Ezio Flagello (Giorgio), Giovanni Fioiani (Gualtiero), Margreta Elkins (Enrichetta), Piero de Palma (Bruno), Coro e Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Richard Bonynge (conductor) –recorded 1963– Decca 448 969-2 / Decca 467 789-2 (part of a 10-CD set) / London POCL 3965-7

I puritani—Joan Sutherland (Elvira), Luciano Pavarotti (Arturo), Piero Cappuccilli (Riccardo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Giorgio), Giancarlo Luccardi (Gualtiero), Anita Caminada (Enrichetta), Renato Cazzaniga (Bruno), Chorus of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London Symphony Orchestra—Richard Bonynge, Recorded 1973, Decca

La sonnambula—Joan Sutherland (Amina), Nicola Monti (Elvino), Fernando Corena (Rodolfo), Sylvia Stahlman (Lisa), Margreta Elkins (Teresa), Angelo Mercuriali (Notary), Giovanni Fioiani (Alessio), Coro e Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Richard Bonynge recorded 1962—Decca 00289 448 9662 6 / 000320702 / 455 823-2—Track listing

La sonnambula—Joan Sutherland (Amina), Luciano Pavarotti (Elvino), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Rodolfo), Isobel Buchanan (Lisa), Della Jones (Teresa), Piero De Palma (Notaro), John Tomlinson (Alessio), National Philharmonic Orchestra, London Opera Chorus, Richard Bonynge, recorded 1980—Decca 2LH417-424

Norma—Joan Sutherland (Norma), Marilyn Horne (Adalgisa), John Alexander (Pollione), Richard Cross (Oroveso), Yvonne Minton (Clotilde), Joseph Ward (Flavio), London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Richard Bonynge, Recorded 1964—Decca

Norma—Joan Sutherland (Norma), Margreta Elkins (Adalgisa), Ronald Stevens (Pollione), Clifford Grant (Oroveso), Etela Piha (Clotilde), Trevor Brown (Flavio), Opera Australia Chorus, Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, recorded 1978—DVD Arthaus Musik 100 180

Norma—Joan Sutherland (Norma), Montserrat Caballé (Adalgisa), Luciano Pavarotti (Pollione), Samuel Ramey (Oroveso), Diana Montague (Clotilde), Kim Begley (Flavio), Chorus and Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, Richard Bonynge, Recorded 1984—Decca

;Georges Bizet

Carmen—Regina Resnik (Carmen), Mario del Monaco (Don Jose), Joan Sutherland (Micaëla), Tom Krause (Escamillo), Georgette Spanellys (Frasquita), Yvonne Minton (Mercedes), Robert Geay (Zuniga), Jean Prudent (Le Dancaire), Alfred Hallet (Le Remendado), Claude Cales (Morales)

;Giovanni Battista Bononcini

Griselda—Joan Sutherland (Griselda), Lauris Elms (Ernesto), Monica Sinclair (Gualtiero), Margreta Elkins (Almirena), Spiro Malas (Rambaldo), Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, recorded 1967. Decca 448 977-2 (coupled with Montezuma)

;Léo Delibes

Lakmé—Joan Sutherland (Lakmé), Gabriel Bacquier (Nilakantha), Jane Berbié (Malika), Émile Belcourt (Hadji), Alain Vanzo (Gérald), Monte Carlo Opera Chorus, Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Richard Bonynge, Recorded 1968, Decca Records.

;Gaetano Donizetti

Emilia di Liverpool (excerpts) / Lucia di Lammermoor (excerpts)—Joan Sutherland (Lucia), Margreta Elkins (Alisa), Joao Gibin (Edgardo), Tullio Serafin (conductor). Recorded 26 February 1959—Myto Records MCD 91545 (Probably these are excerpts from the same performance as the Melodram recording.)

Lucia di Lammermoor—Joan Sutherland (Lucia), Renato Cioni (Edgardo), Robert Merrill (Enrico), Cesare Siepi (Raimondo), Chorus & Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, John Pritchard (conductor), Decca, 1961.

Lucia di Lammermoor—Joan Sutherland (Lucia), Luciano Pavarotti (Edgardo), Sherrill Milnes(Enrico), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Raimondo), Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Richard Bonynge, Decca, 1971.

Lucia di Lammermoor—Joan Sutherland (Lucia), João Gibin (Edgardo), John Shaw (Enrico), Joseph Rouleau (Raimondo), Kenneth MacDonald (Arturo), Margreta Elkins (Alisa), Robert Bowman (Normanno), Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Tullio Serafin, recorded 1959—Golden Melodram GM 50024 or Giuseppe di Stefano GDS 21017 or Bella Voce BLV 107 218 (highlights). 2006 release: Royal Opera House Heritage Series ROHS 002.

Lucia di Lammermoor—Joan Sutherland (Lucia), André Turp (Edgardo), John Shaw (Enrico), Joseph Rouleau (Raimondo), Kenneth MacDonald (Arturo), Margreta Elkins (Alisa), Edgar Evans (Normanno), Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Pritchard, recorded 1961—Celestial Audio CA 345

Lucia di Lammermoor—Joan Sutherland (Lucia), Richard Tucker (Edgardo), Frank Guarrera (Enrico), Nicola Moscona (Raimondo), Robert Nagy (Normanno), Thelma Votipka (Alisa), Charles Anthony (Arturo), Metropolitan Opera House, Conductor: Silvio Varviso. Recorded 9 December 1961 for radio broadcasting.

La fille du régiment—Joan Sutherland (Marie), Luciano Pavarotti (Tonio), Monica Sinclair (La Marquise de Berkenfield), Jules Bruyère (Hortensius), Spiro Malas (Sulpice), Eric Garrett (Le Caporal), Edith Coates (La Duchesse de Crakentorp), Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Richard Bonynge. Recorded: Kingsway Hall, London, 17–28 July 1967. Original LP release: SET 372-3 (two LPs), CD release: 414 520-2 DH2 (two CDs).

L'elisir d'amore—Joan Sutherland (Adina), Luciano Pavarotti (Nemorino), Dominic Cossa (Belcore), Spiro Malas (Dulcamara), Maria Casula (Giannetta), Ambrosian Opera Chorus, English Chamber Orchestra, Richard Bonynge. Recorded: Kingsway Hall, London, 12–23 January and 1–10 July 1970. Original LP release: SET 503-5 (three LPs), CD release: 414 461-2 DH2 (two CDs), CD re-release: 475 7514 DOR2 (two CDs).

Lucrezia Borgia—Joan Sutherland (Lucrezia Borgia), Ronald Stevens (Gennaro), Margreta Elkins (Maffio Orsini), Richard Allman (Don Alfonso), Robin Donald (Jacopo Liveretto), Lyndon Terracini (Don Apostolo Gazella), Gregory Yurisich (Ascanio Petrucci), Lamberto Furlan (Oloferno Vitellozzo), Pieter Van der Stolk (Gubetta), Graeme Ewer (Rustighello), John Germain (Astolfo), Neville Grave (Un servo), Eddie Wilden (Un coppiere), Jennifer Bermingham (Principessa Negroni), Australian Opera Chorus, Sydney Elizabethan Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, recorded 1977. VHS Video Cassette—Castle Video CV2845 (PAL); Polygram-Vidéo 070 031-3 (SECAM) Polygram 079 261-3 (PAL)

Lucrezia Borgia—Joan Sutherland (Lucrezia), Giacomo Aragall (Gennaro), Marilyn Horne (Orsini), Ingvar Wixell (Alfonso), London Opera Chorus, National Philarmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge (conductor), Decca, 1977.

Maria Stuarda—Joan Sutherland (Maria), Huguette Tourangeau (Elisabeta), Luciano Pavarotti (Leicester), Roger Soyer (Talbot), Margreta Elkins (Anna), James Morris (Cecil), Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Richard Bonynge, recorded 1975—Decca 00289 425 4102 / Lyrica LRC 1040/1041—Track listing and excerpts

;Charles Gounod

Faust—Joan Sutherland (Marguerite), Franco Corelli (Faust), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Méphistophélès), Robert Massard (Valentin), Margreta Elkins (Siébel), Monica Sinclair (Marthe), Raymond Myers (Wagner), Ambrosian Opera Chorus and Highgate School Choir, London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, Decca 0289 4705632 4 (2002 release) / 421 240-2 (1991 release) / 467 059-2 / London POCL 3962-4 Track listing and audio samples

;George Frideric Handel

Alcina—Joan Sutherland (Alcina), Margreta Elkins (Ruggiero), Lauris Elms (Bradamante), Richard Greager (Oronte), Narelle Davidson (Morgana), Ann-Maree McDonald (Oberto), John Wegner (Melisso), Chorus and Orchestra of Australian Opera, Richard Bonynge, recorded 1983. Celestial Audio CA 112

Alcina coupled with Giulio Cesare in Egitto (highlights)—Margreta Elkins (Giulio Cesare), Joan Sutherland (Cleopatra), Marilyn Horne (Cornelia), Monica Sinclair (Tolomeo), Richard Conrad (Sesto), New Symphonic Orchestra of London, Richard Bonynge—Decca 00289 433 7232 / 467063-2 / 467 067-2—Track listing and excerpts

Athalia—Joan Sutherland, Emma Kirkby, Aled Jones, James Bowman, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, David Thomas, The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood (Conductor)

Messiah—Joan Sutherland, Grace Bumbry, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult (Conductor)—Decca 433 003-2

Rodelinda—Alfred Hallett (Grimoaldo), Raimund Herincx (Garibaldo), Joan Sutherland (Rodelinda), Dame Janet Baker (Eduige), Margreta Elkins (Bertarido), Patricia Kern (Unolfo), Chandos Singers, Philomusica Antiqua Orchestra, Charles Farncombe. An English language version, recorded live on June 24, 1959—Opera D'oro OPD 1189 (two CDs) or Memories HR 4577–4578 or Living Stage LS 403 35147 (highlights).

Rodelinda—Joan Sutherland (Rodelinda), Huguette Tourangeau (Bertarido), Eric Tappy (Grimoaldo), Margreta Elkins (Eduige), Cora Canne-Meijer (Unolfo), Pieter Van Den Berg (Garibaldo), Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Richard Bonynge. Recorded 30 June 1973—Bella Voce BLV 10 7206.

;Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Idomeneo—Sergei Baigildin (Idomeneo), Margreta Elkins (Idamante), Henri Wilden (Arbace), Leona Mitchell (Ilia), Joan Sutherland (Elettra), Australian Opera Chorus, Sydney Elizabethan Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, recorded 1979. Gala GLH 826 (highlights) and Celestial Audio CA 060 (highlights)

Don Giovanni—Gottlob Frick (Commendatore), Luigi Alva (Don Ottavio), Graziella Sciutti (Zerlina), Joan Sutherland (Donna Anna), Piero Cappuccilli (Masetto), Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Donna Elvira), Eberhard Wächter (Don Giovanni), Heinrich Schmidt, Giuseppe Taddei (Leporello), London Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini. Recorded 1959—EMI 0724356787353

Don Giovanni—Gabriel Bacquier (Don Giovanni), Pilar Lorengar (Donna Elvira), Marilyn Horne (Zerlina), Joan Sutherland (Donna Anna), English Chamber Orchestra, Richard Bonynge. Decca 448 973-2

;Giacomo Meyerbeer

Les Huguenots—Joan Sutherland (Marguerite), Franco Corelli (Raoul), Giulietta Simionato (Valentine), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Marcel), Fiorenza Cossotto (Urbain), Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Alla Scala. Live: June 7, 1962. Opera D'Oro. Sung in Italian.

Les Huguenots—Dominic Cossa (Nevers), Gabriel Bacquier (Saint-Bris), Nicola Ghiuselev (Marcel), John Wakefield (Tavannes), Joseph Ward (Cossé), John Noble (Thoré), Glynne Thomas (Retz), John Gibbs (Meru), Clifford Grant (Maurevert), Janet Coster (Léonard), Dame Kiri Te Kanawa (1st Maid of Honour), Josephte Clement (2nd Maid of Honour), Arleen Auger (1st Gypsy Girl), Maureen Lehane (2nd Gypsy Girl), Joan Sutherland (Marguerite de Valois), Martina Arroyo (Valentine), Huguette Tourangeau (Urbain), Anastasios Vrenios (Raoul de Nangis), Alan Opie (2nd Monk), NPO, Bonynge. Decca 430 549-2, recorded in 1969.

;Jacques Offenbach

Les contes d'Hoffmann—Joan Sutherland, Plácido Domingo, Gabriel Bacquier,, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre du Radio de la Suisse Romande, Pro Arte de Lausanne, Andre Charlet, Richard Bonynge, studio recording made at Victoria Hall, Geneva, first published in 1976.

;Giacomo Puccini

Suor Angelica—Joan Sutherland (Angelica), Christa Ludwig (La Zia Principessa), National Phiharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge. Decca 475 6531 (coupled with Leoni's "L'oracolo")

Turandot—Joan Sutherland (Turandot), Luciano Pavarotti (Calaf), Montserrat Caballé (Liu), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Timur), Peter Pears (Emperor), London Phiharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta. Decca 414 274-2, recorded in 1972.

;Gioachino Rossini

Semiramide—Joan Sutherland (Semiramide), John Serge (Idreno), Joseph Rouleau (Assur), Spiro Malas (Oroe), Patricia Clark (Azema), Leslie Fyson (Mitrane), Michael Langdon (Spectre of Nino), Marilyn Horne (Arsace), London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge. Decca 425 481-2, recorded in 1966.

;Ambroise Thomas

Hamlet—Joan Sutherland, Gösta Winbergh, James Morris, Sheril Milnes, Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh National Opera. Decca, 433 857-2.

;Giuseppe Verdi

Ernani—Luciano Pavarotti (Ernani), Joan Sutherland (Elvira), Leo Nucci (Carlo), Paata Burchuladze (Silva), Linda McLeod (Giovanna), Richard Morton (Riccardo), Alastair Miles (Jago), Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera, Richard Bonynge. Recorded: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, 10–21 May 1987. Original CD release: 421 412-2 DHO2 (two CDs), CD re-release: 475 7008 DM2 (two CDs)

I masnadieri—Joan Sutherland, Samuel Ramey, Franco Bonisolli, Matteo Manuguerra, Simone Alaimo, Orchestra and Chorus of the Welsh Nation, Richard Bonynge. CD re-release in 1993: 433 854–2 (two CD, DDD).

Requiem—Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Martti Talvela, Vienna State Opera Chorus and Vienna Philharmonic (Sir Georg Solti). Decca 411 944-2

Rigoletto—Cornell MacNeil, Joan Sutherland, Renato Cioni, Cesare Siepi, Chorus & Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Nino Sanzogno, Decca, 1961.

Rigoletto—Sherrill Milnes, Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Martti Talvela, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, Decca, 1971.

La traviata—Joan Sutherland, Carlo Bergonzi, Robert Merrill, Chorus & Orchestra of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, John Pritchard, Decca, 1962

La traviata—Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Matteo Manuguerra, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge. London 430 491-2 recorded in 1979.

Il trovatore—Luciano Pavarotti (Manrico), Ingvar Wixell (Il Conte di Luna), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Ferrando), Joan Sutherland (Leonora), Marilyn Horne (Azucena), Graham Clark (Ruiz), Norma Burrowes (Ines), Peter Knapp (Un vecchio zingaro), Wynford Evans (Un messo), London Opera Chorus, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge. Recorded: Kingsway Hall, London, 8, 10, 11, 13–18, 20 September 1976; 26 March 1977. Original LP release: D82D 3 (three LPs), CD release: 417 137-2 DH2* (two CDs), CD re-release: 460 735-2 DF2 (two CDs). (Ballet music not included in CD release).

;Richard Wagner

Siegfried—Joan Sutherland as the Woodbird, Vienna Philharmonic (Sir Georg Solti) 1962 recording, London 414 110-2

References

Further reading

Norma Major Joan Sutherland: The Authorized Biography Queen Anne P, 1987, ISBN 0-35612-693-5, ISBN 978-0356126937 / Little Brown & Co, 1994, ISBN 0-31654-555-4, ISBN 978-0316545556

The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland—A prima donna's progress Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997, ISBN 0297813218

External links

Joan Sutherland at Decca Records

Joan Sutherland Collection at the Performing Arts Collection, the Arts Centre Melbourne (costumes, costume elements, costume designs, props, photographs, programmes, correspondence, scrapbooks, news clippings, business records etc.)

Dame Joan Sutherland programs in the National Library of Australia

Collected news and commentary at The New York Times

R.I.P: Opera Legend Joan Sutherland – slideshow by Life magazine

;Interviews

ABC Sunday Profile interview: Dame Joan Sutherland

Arts and Culture: Ch. Purdy Interview with Dame Sutherland, November 2006

Joan Sutherland interview by Bruce Duffie

;Obituaries

Dame Joan Sutherland obituary, John Amis, Alan Blyth, The Guardian, Monday, 11 October 2010

Joan Sutherland, Opera Soprano, Dies, Anthony Tommasini at The New York Times

Joan Sutherland: addio, Stupenda, Anne Midgette at The Washington Post

;Opinion

Joan Sutherland: the greatest soprano ever?, Martin Kettle at The Guardian

Dame Joan Sutherland remembered at Opera Now

Sutherland, Joan (1926–) National Library of Australia, Trove, People and Organisation record for Joan Sutherland

Category:1926 births Category:2010 deaths Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Music Category:ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Category:ARIA Award winners Category:Australian dames Category:Australian expatriates in Switzerland Category:Australian female singers Category:Australian people of Scottish descent Category:Australian of the Year Award winners Category:Australian opera singers Category:Australian sopranos Category:Companions of the Order of Australia Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:Disease-related deaths in Switzerland Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Members of the Order of Merit Category:Operatic sopranos Category:People from Sydney Category:Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists

Alice Coote (born 10 May 1968, Frodsham, Cheshire) is a British lyric

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:British performers of early music Category:English mezzo-sopranos Category:English opera singers Category:Operatic mezzo-sopranos Category:People from Frodsham

Caption	Spall filming Enchanted in New York City, March 2007
Birthdate	February 27, 1957
Birthname	Timothy Leonard Spall
Birthplace	Battersea, London
Occupation	Actor, presenter
Yearsactive	1979–present
Spouse

Timothy Leonard Spall, OBE (born 27 February 1957) is an English character actor and occasional presenter.

Early life

Spall, third of four sons, was born in Battersea, London; his father, Joe, was a postal worker, and his mother, Sylvia, a hairdresser. He trained at the National Youth Theatre and RADA, where he was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor in his year. His brother, Matthew, is studio director of the computer games company Morpheme.

Career

Initially notable in the United Kingdom for playing the gormless Barry Taylor in all five series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Kevin in Outside Edge and as Aubrey the appalling chef in Mike Leigh's Life is Sweet, Spall has since appeared in films such as Crusoe, Secrets & Lies, Shooting the Past, Vanilla Sky, Rock Star, The Last Samurai, and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. He gained international recognition as Peter Pettigrew ("Wormtail") in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In 1991 he guest starred in the series 5 Red Dwarf episode Back to Reality. In 1993, Spall was in Rab C Nesbitt.

Spall performed lead vocals on the song The Devil Is An Englishman from the Ken Russell film Gothic (1986), in which Spall portrayed John William Polidori.

Spall played the starring role of Albert Pierrepoint in the 2005 film Pierrepoint, which was released as The Last Hangman in the United States. In the 2006 video game , Spall voiced Phil Collins' manager, Barry Mickelthwaite. In 2007, he starred as Nathaniel in Disney's Enchanted and Beadle Bamford in Tim Burton's production of . He also starred as Georgie Godwin in a one-off television drama The Fattest Man in Britain on ITV 1 which aired on the 20th December 2009. The drama also featured Bobby Ball, Frances Barber, Aisling Loftus, and Jeremy Kyle.

On 31 December 1999, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Personal life

Spall is married to Shane and has three children: Pascale (born 1976), Rafe (born 1983), who is also an actor, and Mercedes (born 1985). He lives in Forest Hill, a suburb of south-east London.

In 1996, Spall was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, but has since been in remission. He has said of his illness: }}

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- |1979 |Quadrophenia |Harry the Projectionist | |- |rowspan="2"|1982 |The Missionary |Parswell | |- |Oliver Twist |1st Constable |TV |- |1983 |Auf Wiedersehen, Pet |Barry Taylor |TV series |- |rowspan="2"|1985 |The Bride |Paulus | |- |Dutch Girls | Lyndon Baines Jellicoe | |- |1986 |Gothic |Dr. Polidori | |- |rowspan="2"|1987 |Body Contact |Paul | |- |Dream Demon |Peck | |- |1988 |To Kill a Priest | Igor | |- |1989 |Crusoe |Reverend Milne | |- |rowspan="3"|1990 |White Hunter Black Heart |Hodkins, Bush Pilot | |- |The Sheltering Sky |Eric Lyle | |- |1871 |Ramborde | |- |1991 |Life Is Sweet |Aubrey, Regret Rien Owner | |- |rowspan="2"| 1993 |Frank Stubbs Promotes |Frank Stubbs |TV series |- |Rab C Nesbitt |Cell Mate |TV series |- |1994 |Outside Edge |Kevin Costello |TV |- |rowspan="2"|1996 |Secrets & Lies |Maurice Purley |Nominated for an ALFS Award |- |Hamlet |Rosencrantz | |- |rowspan="4"|1998 |Neville's Island |Gordon |TV |- |Our Mutual Friend | Mr. Venus |Nominated for a BAFTA award Won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award |- |Still Crazy |David 'Beano' Baggot | |- |The Wisdom of Crocodiles |Inspector Healey | |- |rowspan="3"|1999 |Topsy-Turvy |Richard Temple |Nominated for a BAFTA award |- |Shooting the Past |Oswald Bates |Nominated for a BAFTA award Nominated for an ALFS Award |- |The Clandestine Marriage | Sterling | |- |rowspan="3"|2000 |Love's Labour's Lost |Don Armado | |- |Vatel |Gourville | |- |Chicken Run |Nick |voice |- |rowspan="8"|2001 |The Old Man Who Read Love Stories |Luis Agalla (Mayor) | |- |Perfect Strangers |Irving |TV |- |Lucky Break |Cliff Gumbell |Nominated for a British Independent Film Award |- |Vanilla Sky |Thomas Tipp | |- |Intimacy |Andy |Nominated for a Chlotrudis award |- |Rock Star |Mats | |- |Vacuuming Completely Nude In Paradise |Tommy Rag |TV Nominated for a BAFTA award |- |Ivor the Invisible |Dad |voice; TV |- |rowspan="4"|2002 |All or Nothing |Phil |Nominated for a British Independent Film Award Nominated for a European Film Award |- |Bodily Harm |Mitchel Greenfield |TV |- |Nicholas Nickleby |Charles Cheeryble | |- |When Love Speaks |Shakespeare's |"Sonnet 3" ("Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest") EMI Classics |- |rowspan="2"|2003 |The Last Samurai |Simon Graham | |- |My House in Umbria |Quinty | |- |rowspan="3"|2004 |Gettin' Square |Darren 'Dabba' Barrington |Nominated for an AFI award |- |Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events |Mr. Poe | |- |Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |Peter Pettigrew | |- |rowspan="4"|2005 |Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |Peter Pettigrew | |- |Cherished |Terry Cannings |TV |- |Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle |Mr. Harvey |TV |- |Pierrepoint |Albert Pierrepoint |Nominated for an ALFS Award |- |rowspan="3"|2006 |The Street |Eddie McEvoy |TV (2006–present) |- | |Barry Mickelthwaite |Video game, voice |- |Mysterious Creatures |Bill Ainscow |TV |- |rowspan="5"|2007 |Death Defying Acts |Sugarman | |- |Enchanted |Nathaniel | |- | |Beadle Bamford | |- |A Room with a View |Mr Emerson |for ITV1 |- |Oliver Twist |Fagin |for BBC |- |2008 |Appaloosa |Phil Olson | |- |rowspan="7"|2009 |The Damned United |Peter Taylor | Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |- |Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |Peter Pettigrew | |- |Heartless |George Morgan | |- |Desert Flower |Terry Donaldson | |- |From Time to Time | | |- |Gunrush |Doug Beckett |TV Series |- |The Fattest Man in Britain |Georgie Godwin |TV |- |rowspan="6"|2010 |Alice in Wonderland |Bayard Hamar, the Bloodhound | |- |Wake Wood |Arthur | |- |Jackboots on Whitehall |Winston Churchill |voice |- |Re-Uniting the Rubins |Lenny Rubins | |- |The King's Speech |Winston Churchill | |- |Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 |Peter Pettigrew | |- |2011 |Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 |Peter Pettigrew |Post-production |}

References

External links

Amy Raphael, Spall in the Family, (Interview of Timothy Spall and actor son Rafe) The Observer, 28 October 2007

Stuart Jeffries, I don't always play losers, The Guardian, 5 November 2007

Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:Cancer survivors Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:Actors from London Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Battersea Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:Shakespearean actors

Teresa Berganza, born on March 16, 1935), is a Spanish mezzo-soprano. She is most closely associated with the roles of Rossini, Mozart, and Bizet. She is admired for her technical virtuosity, musical intelligence and beguiling stage presence.

Biography

Teresa Berganza was born in Madrid. She studied piano and voice at the Madrid Conservatory, where she was awarded first prize for singing in 1954. She made her concert debut in Madrid in 1955.

Berganza made her operatic debut as Dorabella in Così fan tutte in 1957 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. That same year, she made her Teatro alla Scala debut and the following year her debut at Glyndebourne. In 1959, Berganza made her first appearances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, which became one of her signature roles. In 1967, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro.

As a recitalist, Berganza made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1964. Her concert repertoire includes Spanish, French, German, and Russian songs. From 1957 to 1977 Berganza was married to the composer and pianist Félix Lavilla, with whom she recorded and performed regularly and with whom she has three children, including soprano Cecilia Lavilla Berganza.

Berganza shared the 1991 Prince of Asturias Award for arts and letters with six other Spanish singers.

In 1992, Berganza participated in the opening ceremonies of Expo '92 in Seville and the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. In 1994, she became the first woman elected to the Spanish Royal Academy of Arts. She currently teaches singing at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, continues to perform music of Spanish composers, and gives master classes all over the world. Her students have included María Bayo and Jorge Chaminé.

Films

Teresa Berganza has appeared in nine motion pictures, including Il barbiere di Siviglia in 1972, as Zerlina in the Joseph Losey's Don Giovanni in 1979, and both Werther and Carmen in 1980.

External links

Official web page

Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)

Interviews

Teresa Berganza interview by Bruce Duffie, December 1, 1984

Category:1935 births Category:Living people Category:Spanish female singers Category:Operatic mezzo-sopranos Category:Spanish opera singers Category:People from Madrid Category:Queen Sofía College of Music faculty Category:Alumni of the Madrid Royal Conservatory Category:Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music

Name	Rosamund Pike
Caption	Pike at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
Birth date	January 27, 1979
Birth place	London, England, UK
Years active	1998–present
Occupation	Actress

Rosamund Mary E. Pike (born 27 January 1979) is an English actress. Her film roles include villainous Bond girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day; Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice; Maggie Greer in Surrogates and Helen in An Education.

Early life

Pike was born in London, England, the only child of concert musicians/opera singers Caroline and Julian Pike.

The family travelled across Europe until she was aged 7, following wherever her parents' performing career took them; as a result, she speaks fluent French and German. and while appearing in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the National Youth Theatre, was noticed by an agent who helped her embark upon a professional career.

After being turned down to every stage school she applied to, she gained a place to read English Literature at Wadham College, Oxford. While there, she studied under both Bernard O'Donoghue, the Whitbread prize-winning poet, and Robert J. C. Young, the eminent post-colonial theorist. During her time at Oxford Pike was also in a two-year relationship with Simon Woods. she was offered the role as a Bond girl and MI6 agent assigned to aid James Bond in Die Another Day. During the film's release, she appeared in the special show Bond Girls Are Forever and, shortly thereafter, the BAFTA tribute to the James Bond series.

during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.]] Pike's British television roles appearances include A Rather English Marriage (1998), Wives and Daughters (1999), and Love in a Cold Climate (2001), a miniseries based on the Nancy Mitford novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate. She appeared as "Sarah Beaumont" in an episode of the series ''Foyle's War.

Pike played Elizabeth Malet in The Libertine (2004) co-starring Johnny Depp, which won her the Best Supporting Actress award at the British Independent Film Awards. In the same year, she portrayed Rose in The Promised Land (a film about Israel), as well as starring as scientist Samantha Grimm in the cinematic adaptation of the computer game Doom. And she appeared as Jane, the elder sister of Elizabeth (played by Keira Knightley), in Pride & Prejudice.

Pike has a role in the film adaptation of Anne Michaels' novel Fugitive Pieces, and also starred as a successful attorney in the movie Fracture, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. It was her first experience shooting a movie in Los Angeles. She currently lives in Kensington Gardens, .

While at Oxford, she had a two year relationship with actor Simon Woods. She was engaged in 2007 to film director Joe Wright, but they called off the wedding they had been planning to hold in 2008.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Director ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1998 || A Rather English Marriage || Celia || Paul Seed || TV |- | 1999 || Wives and Daughters || Lady Harriet Cumnor || Nicholas Renton || Miniseries |- | 2000 || Trial & Retribution IV || Lucy || Michael Whyte || TV |- | 2001 || Love in a Cold Climate || Fanny || Tom Hooper || Miniseries |- |rowspan="4" | 2002 || Foyle's War: “The German Woman” || Sarah Beaumont || Jeremy Silberston || TV episode |- | Die Another Day || Miranda Frost || Lee Tamahori || |- | Bond Girls Are Forever || Herself || || TV documentary |- | Hitchcock Blonde || The Blonde || || Play |- |rowspan="2" | 2004 || Promised Land || Rose || Amos Gitai || |- | The Libertine || Elizabeth Malet || Laurence Dunmore || |- |rowspan="2" | 2005 || Pride & Prejudice || Jane Bennet || Joe Wright || |- | Doom || Samantha Grimm || Andrzej Bartkowiak || |- | 2006 || Summer and Smoke || Alma Winemiller || || Play |- |rowspan="2" | 2007 || Fracture || Nikki Gardner || Gregory Hoblit || |- | Fugitive Pieces || Alex || Jeremy Podeswa || |- |rowspan="4"| 2009 || An Education || Helen || Lone Scherfig || |- | Devil You Know || Zoe Hughes || James Oakley || |- | Surrogates || Maggie Greer || Jonathan Mostow || |- | Burning Palms || Dedra Davenport || Christopher B. Landon || |- |rowspan="3"| 2010 || Barney's Version || Miriam || Richard J. Lewis || Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion PictureNominated — London Film Critics Circle Awards for British Actress of the Year |- | Made in Dagenham || Lisa || Nigel Cole || Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated — London Film Critics Circle Awards for British Supporting Actress of the Year |- | Jackboots on Whitehall || Daisy || Edward McHenry || Voice |- | 2011 || Johnny English Reborn || Michelle || Oliver Parker || |}

References

External links

Do You Like Me Now? Rosamund Pike in The Libertine

Category:1979 births Category:Old Badmintonians Category:Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Living people Category:Actors from London

Name	Kevin Whately
Birth date	February 06, 1951
Birth place	Hexham, Northumberland, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	was a professional concert singer and his great-great-grandfather, Richard Whately, was Anglican Archbishop of Dublin.
Name	Whately, Kevin
Date of birth	6 February 1951
Place of birth	Hexham, Northumberland, England

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:People from Hexham Category:People from Milton Keynes Category:English television actors Category:English stage actors Category:English film actors Category:English radio actors Category:English voice actors Category:Alumni of the Central School of Speech and Drama Category:Inspector Morse

Name	Jimmy Nail
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	James Michael Aloysius Bradford
Born	March 16, 1954Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Label	Virgin Records, Warner Music UK Ltd, London Records
Genre	Soul, pop rock, rock and roll, country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actor, musician
Instrument	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1983–2009
Associated acts	Gary Holton, Mark Knopfler
Type	single
Filename	Jimmy Nail - Ain't No Doubt excerpt.ogg
Format	Ogg
Title	"Ain't No Doubt"}}

}}

Jimmy Nail (born 16 March 1954) is an English singer-songwriter, actor and musician.

He has starred in numerous roles on television since 1983. He is 6'3" tall and a Newcastle United F.C. supporter. He is most famous for his role as Leonard "Oz" Osbourne in the hit television show Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, his title role in Spender, and his 1992 number one single "Ain't No Doubt".

Biography

Personal life

Nail was born James Bradford in Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, the son of Laura (née Johnson) and James Bradford. He had two sisters: Shelagh (who died in June 1967) and Val McLane, who starred with him in the second series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet playing Norma Patterson.

Career

Nail rose to fame playing Leonard Jeffrey 'Oz' Osborne in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in 1983, despite having no acting experience whatsoever (he had appeared as an extra in the movie Get Carter). Nail has also starred in a number of films and had a long musical career, having been a singer before he was picked out at an audition to play Oz.

In 1989, he appeared as head gamekeeper Rabbetts in the film adaptation of the Roald Dahl book Danny, the Champion of the World.

After the first two series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Nail found himself typecast before creating the detective series Spender, which he co-wrote with Ian La Frenais. The show ran for three series from 1990 to 1993 and also produced a tele-film and a novel. This was followed in 1995 by Crocodile Shoes, which he also created and starred as musician Jed Shepherd. After working with Madonna and Antonio Banderas in Alan Parker's Evita (1996), he co-starred in Clement & La Frenais' Sony movie 'Still Crazy' (1998). A song from the movie, The Flame Still Burns, sung by Nail, was nominated for a Golden Globe. In 1999 he began work on reviving the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet series, this time for the BBC. It was filmed in 2001 and aired in 2002, garnering audience figures of over 12 million. Another series saw the brickies holed up in Cuba, and the final two-hour instalment, set in Thailand, aired over Christmas 2004 attracting over 7 million viewers.

He has released a number of albums of his own compositions, the first being Take It Or Leave It in 1986, 1991's Growing Up in Public (featuring among others Gary Moore, David Gilmour and George Harrison) and the last being Tadpoles In A Jar in 1999. His Crocodile Shoes album of 1994 sold over a million copies. Mark Knopfler plays guitar on some tracks, a compliment that was repaid with an important plot reference to Oz's being a fan of Dire Straits in the third (revived) series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (2002).

In 2001 Nail released an album of cover songs, Ten Great Songs and an OK Voice. The album contained different versions of songs such as "Walking on the Moon" (The Police), "Something" (George Harrison) and "Overjoyed" (Stevie Wonder).

His work has resulted in five Bafta nominations (three in total for A.W.P., one for Spender, one for Crocodile Shoes), a Golden Globe nomination ( Best Original Song - "Still Crazy"), an Ivor Novello nomination (for "Ain't No Doubt") and numerous other awards and nominations.

In 2004, Nail successfully sued the News of the World for defamation (Nail v News Group Newspapers Limited, 20 December 2004) and subsequently received damages of £30,000.

In 2005, his autobiography, A Northern Soul, was published in the UK by Penguin Books.

In 2008 Nail created and starred as Phil Parker in Parents of the Band, a 6 x 30 mins series on BBC1, broadcast between November 2008 and January 2009. The series revolves around a group of teenagers who form a band just for their own enjoyment, and their parents, who fully expect them to be nothing less than the next Led Zeppelin. Ratings were disappointing, around the three million mark, and there are presently no plans for a second series.

Nail is currently said to be developing projects with the BBC.

Nail was actively involved in the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund, established to help young talent in North East England. To aid this, he participated in the Sunday for Sammy benefit concerts, until workload forced him to resign from the board.

Filmography

Television Shows in which he has appeared include:

Minder - (1984)... as Nathan Loveridge in the episode "The Car Lot Baggers"

Auf Wiedersehen Pet - (1983, 1986, 2002, 2004)... as Leonard Jeffrey "Oz" Ozbourne

Spyship - (1983) ... as Metcalfe

Blott on the Landscape (1985)... as Edwards

Master Of The Game (1985)... as Schmidt

(1986)... as Vilmos Langfelder

nicking kids (1986)...as Criminal 1

Lenny Henry Tonite (1986) as Guest Star

Shoot For The Sun (1986)... as Geordie

Spender (1991-93)... as Freddie Spender

Crocodile Shoes (1994, 1996)... as Jed Shepperd

Parents of the Band (2008) ... as Phil Parker

Films in which he has appeared include:

Get Carter (1971)... (uncredited extra)

Morons from Outer Space (1985)... as Desmond

(1985)...as "Punk"

Dream Demon (1987)... as Paul

Just Ask for Diamond (1988)... as Boyle

Crusoe (1989)... as Tarik

Danny, the Champion of the World (1990)... as Rabbets

Evita (1996)... as Agustín Magaldi

Still Crazy (1998)... as Les Wickes

The 10th Kingdom (2000)... as Clayface the Goblin

Own projects

Spender (1991-1993)... Actor, writer, producer, creator.

Crocodile Shoes (1994)... Actor, writer, executive producer, creator.

Crocodile Shoes II (1996)... Actor, writer, executive producer, title music composer, creator

Parents of the Band (2008)... Actor, creator, executive producer, title music composer.

Discography

Jimmy Nail discography

References

Larkin, Colin. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 3rd edition, Macmillan, 1998.

External links

Jimmy Nail In New Zealand

Category:1954 births Category:English film actors Category:English male singers Category:English television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Newcastle upon Tyne Category:Music from Newcastle upon Tyne Category:English country musicians Category:English pop musicians Category:English soul musicians Category:English composers

Isabel Rey (born in Valencia) is a Spanish operatic soprano who has performed leading roles in the opera houses of Europe and appears on many recordings.

Discography

Handel: Semele – Conductor: Christie; Rey, Bartoli, Workman (DECCA 2009)

Donizetti: Don Pasquale – Conductor: Santi; Rey, Flórez, Raimondi (DECCA 2009)

Mozart: La finta giardinera – Conductor: Harnoncourt; Mei, Rey, Schaschina (TKD 2008)

Boccherini: Stabat Mater – Conductor: Frizza; Rey, Barcellona (DECCA 2007)

Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande – Conductor: Welser-Möst; Rey, Gilfry, Volle, Kalish (TKD 2006)

Purcell: King Arthur – Conductor: Harnoncourt, Isabel Rey, Bonney, Remmert, (Salzburg Festival 2005)

Fernández Caballero: El dúo de la africana – Conductor: López Cobos; Rey, Rodríguez, Orozco , (Deutsche Grammophon 2004).

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Conductor: Harnoncourt; Gilfry, Mei, Rey, Chausson (TKD 2009).

Varios: Arias y dúos de ópera – Conductor: Bragado; Rey, Gavanelli (RTVE).

Monteverdi: Il ritorno d'Ullisse in Patria – Conductor: Harnoncourt; Rey, Kasarova, Henschel (ARTHAUS 2002).

Mozart: Don Giovanni – Conductor: Harnoncourt, Rey, Gilfry, Polgar, Bartoli (ARTHAUS 2001).

Various: Las Damas del Canto –Rey, De los Ángeles, Berganza, Scotto, Caballé, Bayo, Arteta (RTVE Música 2001).

César Cano: Te Deum – Conductor: Galduf; Rey, Mentxaca, Cid (Petagas S.A. 2001).

Various: Canciones para la navidad – Piano: Zabala; Isabel Rey (Discmedi 1999).

Various: Natsu no Omoide – Guitar: Suzuki; Isabel Rey (Discmedi 1999)

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Conductor: Harnoncourt; Rey, Hampson, Margiono, Bonney (Teldec 1994)

Various: The Passion of Spain – Rey, Carreras (Teldec 1993)

Various: Opera Gala – Rey, Caballé, De los Ángeles, Carreras, González, Pons (RTVE 1992).

Sources

Cummings, David (ed.), "Rey, Isabel", International Who's Who in Classical Music, Routledge, 2003, p. 654. ISBN 185743174X

Llorente, J. Antonio, "Isabel Rey, soprano: «Voy a ser una tía estupenda para el resto de mis dias»" (in Spanish), ABC, 24 August 2004

Rus, César, "El talento de Isabel Rey" (in Spanish), Las Provincias, 25 June 2006

External links

Isabel Rey – Official website,

Category:Living people Category:Spanish musicians Category:Spanish opera singers Category:Spanish singers Category:Spanish female singers Category:Operatic sopranos Category:Valencian people

Name	Frances Barber
Birthdate	May 13, 1958
Birth place	Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Occupation	stage actress, screen actress

Frances Barber (born on 13 May 1958 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England) is an Olivier Award-nominated English actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She has also worked extensively in BBC, Granada and ITV television drama.

Personal life

Barber attended Bangor University; whilst there, she dated director and fellow alumnus Danny Boyle. She also dated actor Neil Pearson, but is currently single. She also counts Ian McKellen amongst her closest friends, and he recently bought her a library. In 2006, she received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Wolverhampton.

Recent career

Stage

With Pet Shop Boys, she starred in their musical Closer to Heaven in 2001 as well as guest singer for the song "Friendly Fire" on their 2006 live concert at the Mermaid Theatre. She also appeared alongside Ian McKellen and Roger Allam in the Old Vic's pantomime production of Aladdin over the 2005-06 Christmas season. She again starred with Ian McKellen in 2007 playing Goneril in Trevor Nunn's production of King Lear and as Arkadina in Chekhov's The Seagull with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon followed by a world tour throughout the year. They again performed the two plays in repertory at the New London Theatre on Drury Lane, opening in November 2007 and closing mid-January 2008. She appeared in Madame de Sade opposite Judi Dench and Rosamund Pike at the Wyndham's Theatre, and will soon be appearing opposite Niall Buggy in Brian Friel's Afterplay, in a celebration of the author's work.

Screen

Barber is a regular face on British television; she recently guest starred in the spring 2007 season of the BBCs Hustle, reprised her role as Goneril in the 2008 TV film of King Lear. In 2008, she appeared as Mrs Prentice in the BBC sitcom Beautiful People and Nancy in Casualty.

Theatre career

Ooh La La (Hull Truck Theatre, 1979)

Riff Raff Rules (Theatre Royal, Stratford East)

Space Ache (Tricycle Theatre, Wakefield, 1980)

Emilia in Othello (Oxford Playhouse)

La Guerra (The Battle), Desperado Corner and Madame Louise (Glasgow Citizens', 1980, and Venice Biennale Festival, 1981)

The Treat (Institute of Contemporary Arts)

The Mission (Soho Poly)

Hard Feelings (Oxford Playhouse and The Bush, 1983) Turning Over (The Bush, 1983)

Marguerite in Camille (Royal Shakespeare Company, The Other Place, 1984, and Comedy Theatre, 1985 - Olivier nomination for Most Promising Newcomer)

Ophelia in Hamlet (RSC Barbican Theatre, 1985)

Love's Labours Lost (RSC The Other Place, Comedy Theatre, 1985)

The Dead Monkey (RSC The Pit, 1986))

Summer and Smoke (Haymarket Theatre)

Viola in Twelfth Night (Renaissance, Riverside Studios, 1987)

Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (Royal Exchange, Manchester, 1988)

My Heart's a Suitcase (Royal Court, 1990)

Over a Barrel (Watford Palace Theatre)

Imagine Drowning (Hampstead Theatre, 1991)

Maxine Faulk in The Night of the Iguana (National Theatre, 1992)

Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion (National Theatre, 1992)

Insignificance (Donmar Warehouse, 1995)

Uncle Vanya (Minerva Theatre, Chichester and Albery Theatre, 1996 - TMA Award)

Closer (Lyric Theatre, National Theatre West End transfer, 1998)

Closer to Heaven (Arts Theatre,2001)

Valerie in Tales from the Vienna Woods (National Theatre, 2003)

Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Gielgud Theatre, 2004)

Dim Sum in Aladdin (Old Vic pantomime, 2005)

The Narrator in Shane Cullinan's The Pieta St Paul's, Covent Garden, 2006)

Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare's Globe, London, 2006)

Arkadina in The Seagull and Goneril in King Lear (RSC, The Courtyard Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon, and New London Theatre, 2007)

Madame de Sade (Donmar West End, Wyndham's Theatre, 2009)

Afterplay (Edinburgh Festival, then Gate Theatre, Dublin, 2009)

Select filmography

A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)

Castaway (1986)

Prick Up Your Ears (1987)

Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987)

Red Dwarf - "Polymorph" (1989) (TV)

Behaving Badly (1989) (TV)

The Leaving of Liverpool (1992)

Giorgino (1994)

Space Precinct (1995) (TV)

A Royal Scandal (1996) (TV)

The Ice House (1997) (TV)

Still Crazy (1998)

Murder Most Horrid (1998)

Bremner, Bird and Fortune (1999) (TV)

Manchild (2002) (TV)

Flyfishing (2002) (TV)

Boudica (2003)

Monkey Dust (2003) (TV) (voice)

Evilenko (2004)

The IT Crowd - "Aunt Irma Visits" (2005) (TV)

Funland (2005) (TV)

King Lear (2008)

Beautiful People (2008)

The Fattest Man in Britain (2009)

The Royal (2009-)

References

External links

Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English musical theatre actors Category:English voice actors Category:Shakespearean actors Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:People from Wolverhampton Category:1958 births Category:Living people

Birthname	Celia Diana Savile Imrie
Birthdate	July 15, 1952
Birthplace	Guildford, Surrey, England
Occupation	Actress
Yearsactive	1973–present
Website	http://www.celiaimrie.com/

Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom. She has been described as "one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades".

Career

Imrie trained at the Guildford School of Acting. Her films include Nanny McPhee, Hilary and Jackie (playing Iris du Pré) and the 1997 film of The Borrowers where she played Homily Clock. Other films include Bridget Jones's Diary, Calendar Girls, Highlander and, as Fighter Pilot Bravo 5, in . In 2004, Imrie played Doctor Imogen Reed in the schoolgirl thriller, Out of Bounds. She appeared in St Trinian's in 2007 as the Matron, alongside Stephen Fry, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Russell Brand and Mischa Barton.

Television series to feature Imrie include The Nightmare Man, Bergerac, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Absolutely Fabulous, The Darling Buds of May and Upstairs, Downstairs. In the 2000 miniseries of Gormenghast, she played Lady Gertrude. She also had a guest appearance in an episode of the BBC Scotland sitcom Still Game in 2003, where she played a home help called Mrs Begg. She also appeared in the 2005 BBC television drama Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle, playing the part of a teacher taking an unruly party of pupils on a daytrip to Salisbury Cathedral. She starred in the BBC sitcom, After You've Gone, alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst and in the ITV1 drama Kingdom, with Stephen Fry. Her part in After You've Gone has, whilst being critically acclaimed, been described as "criminally squandered".

In 2005, she received very positive reviews for her US stage debut in Unsuspecting Susan. In 2009, Imrie appeared in Plague Over England on the West End, a play about John Gielgud, and received positive reviews for her performance, Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph calling her performance "delicious" and "touchingly sympathetic". In the same year, she appeared in the world premiere of Robin Soans' Mixed Up North, directed by Max Stafford-Clark. In 2010, she appeared alongside Robin Soans in a production of Sheridan's The Rivals.

Her radio work includes parts in BBC Radio 4's No Commitments, Adventures of a Black Bag, and Bleak Expectations. In early 2007, she narrated the book Arabella, broadcast over two weeks as the Book at Bedtime.

Victoria Wood & Miss Babs

.]] Imrie is perhaps best known for her frequent collaborations with Victoria Wood, with whom she has appeared in TV programmes such as the sitcom dinnerladies and sketch show Victoria Wood As Seen On TV. It was on the latter show in 1985 that she first played the infamous part of Miss Babs, owner of Acorn Antiques, a parody of the low budget British soap opera Crossroads.

These sketches became such a British institution that the show was turned into a West End musical in 2005 starring most of the original cast (see the picture on the right). Imrie won an Olivier Award for her performance. The character has curly blonde hair, and is known for her frequent parodic flirtations with the customers, and her abuse of the housekeeper Mrs Overall (portrayed by Julie Walters).

Personal life

Imrie, fourth of five children, was born in Guildford, Surrey, the daughter of Diana and David, a radiologist from Glasgow, Scotland. By actor Benjamin Whitrow, she has a son, Angus, who appears as her on-screen son in Kingdom. She lives in London and in Cowes (in the Isle of Wight).

Awards

(1992) The Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Sea (2006) The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in Acorn Antiques:The Musical!

Real life quotes

Whilst filming Kingdom:"I've got a gorgeous place in Swaffham [in Norfolk] with a beautiful garden and I really love the market there. I also love Wells and Holkham. I love walking on the pathway from Wells Quay to the beach. Wells is naturally beautiful and has the candy floss as well. It is a marvellous mix."

Filmography

Film

1973 - Assassin

1974 - House of Whipcord

1978 - Death on the Nile

1983 - The Wicked Lady

1986 - Highlander

1991 - The Harmfulness of Tobacco

1992 - Blue Black Permanent

1994 - Frankenstein

1995 - A Midwinter's Tale

1997 - The Borrowers

1998 - Hiccup

1998 - Hilary and Jackie

1999 -

2001 - Revelation

2001 - Lucky Break

2001 - Bridget Jones's Diary

2002 - Heartlands

2002 - Thunderpants

2003 - Out of Bounds

2003 - Calendar Girls

2004 -

2004 - Wimbledon

2004 - Reuben Don't Take Your Love To Town

2005 - Imagine Me & You

2005 - Wah-Wah

2005 - Nanny McPhee

2006 - Acorn Antiques

2007 - St Trinian's

2009 -

Television

1974 - Upstairs, Downstairs: "Missing Believed Killed"

1974 - Upstairs, Downstairs: "If You Were the Only Girl in the World"

1979 - To the Manor Born: "A Touch of Class"

1980 - Shoestring: The "Dangerous Game"

1980 - To the Manor Born: "Vive Le Sport"

1981 - 81 Take 2

1981 - The Nightmare Man

1982 - Bergerac

1982 - Cloud Howe

1985 - Victoria Wood As Seen On TV

1987 - Acting: "Michael Caine on Acting in Film"

1988 - An Audience with Victoria Wood

1988 - The New Statesman: "Alan B'Stard Closes Down the BBC"

1988 - Taggart: "Root of Evil"

1989 - Victoria Wood: "Staying In"

1989 - Victoria Wood: "Val De Ree (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha)"

1989 - Victoria Wood: "We'd Quite Like to Apologise"

1989 - Murder by Moonlight

1989 - The New Statesman: "May the Best Man Win"

1990 - 102 Boulevard Haussman

1990 - Old Flames

1990 - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

1990 - The World of Eddie Weary

1991 - Stay Lucky: "The Food of Love"

1991 - The Darling Buds of May: "When the Green Woods Laugh (Parts 1 & 2)"

1991 - Lovejoy: "The Italian Venus"

1992 - Van der Valk: "Still Waters"

1992 - Victoria Wood's All Day Breakfast

1993 - A Question of Guilt

1993 - The Riff Raff Element

1993 - Bonjour la Classe: "Red Card"

1994 - The Return of the Native

1994 - Pat and Margaret

1994 - A Dark Adapted Eye

1995 - Absolutely Fabulous: "Jealous"

1996 - The Writing on the Wall

1996 - Blackhearts In Battersea

1997 - Mr. White Goes to Westminster

1997 - The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

1997 - Wokenwell

1997 - Hospital!

1997 - Into the Blue

1997 - The Canterville Ghost

1998 - dinnerladies

1998 - Duck Patrol: "River Rage"

1999 - A Christmas Carol

1999 - Hilltop Hospital

1999 - Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

2000 - Victoria Wood With All The Trimmings

2000 - Dalziel & Pascoe: "Above the Law"

2000 - Gormenghast

2001 - Victoria Wood's Sketch Show Story

2001 - Station Jim

2001 - Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased): "Revenge of the Bog People"

2001 - Absolutely Fabulous: "Menopause"

2001 - Midsomer Murders: "Dark Autumn"

2001 - Baddiel's Syndrome: "Inventions Now"

2001 - Love in a Cold Climate

2002 - Doctor Zhivago

2002 - Daniel Deronda

2002 - A is for Acid

2002 - Sparkhouse

2002 - The Gathering Storm

2002 - Heartbeat: "The Shoot"

2003 - Still Game : "Wummin'"

2003 - The Planman

2004 - Marple: "The 4.50 From Paddington"

2004 - Doc Martin: "Going Bodmin"

2004 - Jonathan Creek: "Gorgons Wood"

2005 - Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle

2005 - The Making of Acorn Antiques! The Musical

2005 - A BAFTA Tribute to Victoria Wood

2006 - Where The Heart Is : "Walk of Faith"

2006 - Agatha Christie's Poirot: "Taken at the Flood"

2006 - The Lavender List

2007 - Kingdom

2007 - After You've Gone

2009 - Cranford : "Christmas Special"

2010 - The Road to Coronation Street (as Doris Speed)

Theatre

1976 - The Adventures of Alice

1976 - Sherlock Holmes

1976 - Now Here's A Funny Thing

1977 - The Boyfriend

1977 - Love's Labour's Lost

1977 - Henry V

1978 - 'Tis Pity She's a Whore

1978 - Macbeth

1978 - Cabaret

1978 - As You Like It

1979 - Pygmalion

1979 - The Good Humoured Ladies

1980 - Seduced

1981 - A Waste of Time

1981 - Heaven and Hell

1982 - The Screens

1982 - Philosophy of the Boudoir

1982 - Puss In Boots

1982 - Puntila and Matti, Master and Servant

1983 - Sirocco

1983 - The Merchant of Venice

1983 - Custom of the Country

1983 - Arms and the Man

1983 - Webster

1984 - When I Was A Girl I Used To Scream and Shout

1984 - The Merchant of Venice

1984 - Alfie

1985 - The Philanthropist

1985 - Particular Friendships

1986 - Last Waltz

1987 - Yerma

1987 - School For Wives

1988 - The Madwoman of Chaillot

1988 - Doctor Angelus

1990 - No one Sees The Video

1990 - Hangover Square

1990 - In Pursuit of The English

1991 - The Sea

1995 - The Hothouse

1996 - Habeas Corpus

1997 - Dona Rosita The Spinster

1998 - The School for Scandal

2003 - Unsuspecting Susan

2003 - The Way of The World

2005 - Unsuspecting Susan

2005 - Acorn Antiques The Musical!

2006 - Singular Women

2009 - Mixed Up North

2009 - Plague Over England

2010 - The Rivals

2010 - ''Polar Bears

References

External links

Celia Imrie Wins Olivier Award

Interview with Celia Imrie

Celia Imrie talks about Star Wars

The Daily Telegraph">Celia Imrie Article with The Daily Telegraph

Photograph of Celia as Marianne Bellshade in 1982 in Bergerac

Celia Imrie opens a fête in Norfolk.

Category:1952 births Category:Anglo-Scots Category:Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting Category:Clarence Derwent Award winners Category:English film actors Category:English television actors Category:Living people Category:Olivier Award winners Category:People from Guildford Category:English comedians Category:English musical theatre actors

Name	Anthony Andrews
Birth date	January 12, 1948
Birth place	Finchley, London, England
Spouse
Occupation	Actor

Anthony Andrews (; born 12 January 1948 in London) is a British actor.

Biography

Andrews grew up in the North Finchley district of London. At the age of eight he undertook dancing lessons, making his stage debut as the White Rabbit in a stage adaptation of Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland. He was the main star of the ITV television series Danger UXB, in which Andrews plays a British bomb disposal officer in World War II during the London Blitz. The series first aired in the United States in 1979 on Masterpiece Theatre.

He played Professor Higgins in a stage version of My Fair Lady (2001) and Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White.

He was the narrator for a 21st Anniversary BBC Radio 2 special broadcast of Cameron Mackintosh's musical Les Misérables, sung by the (at the time) current West End cast at the Mermaid Theatre in London on Sunday 8 October 2006.

Television roles

Prefect in Alma Mater (1971)

Robert, Marquis of Stockbridge in Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–1975)

Reg Hogg in A War of Children (1972)

Stephen Kelno in QB VII (1974)

James Steerforth in David Copperfield (1974)

Lord Silverbridge in The Pallisers (1974)

Marcus Carrington in "Lottie's Boy," an episode of The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)

Lieutenant Brian Ash in Danger UXB (1979)

Lord Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited (1981)

Wilfred of Ivanhoe in Ivanhoe (1982)

Sir Percy Blakeney/The Scarlet Pimpernel in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

Tony Browne in Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide (1983)

John Loomis in Play for Today's Z for Zachariah (1984)

Nero in A.D. (1985)

Johnnie Aysgarth in Suspicion (1987)

Edward VIII (The Prince of Wales) in The Woman He Loved (1988)

Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Elliott Blake in Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (1989)

Christopher Edwards in The Law Lord (1991)

William Whitfield in Danielle Steel's Jewels (1992)

Luke Crossland in Heartstones (1996)

Robin in Mothertime (1997)

Mr. Edward Murdstone in David Copperfield (2000)

Richard Oakley in Rosemary and Thyme: The Invisible Worm (2004)

Tommy Beresford in Marple: By the Pricking of my Thumbs 2006

Film roles

Hugo Flaxman in Take Me High (1974)

Catchpole in Percy's Progress (1974, also known as It's Not the Size That Counts)

Josef Gabcik in Operation Daybreak (1975)

Sir Percival Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

Hugh Firmin in Under the Volcano (1984)

Johann von Tiebolt in The Holcroft Covenant (1985)

Richard Meinertzhagen in The Lighthorsemen (1987)

McCormack in Hanna's War (1988)

Professor Moriarty in Hands of a Murderer (1990)

Andrei Miller in Lost in Siberia (1991)

Robert Mariell in Haunted (1995)

Stanley Baldwin in The King's Speech (2010)

Producer

Lost in Siberia (1991)

Haunted (1995)

Theatrical roles

Count Fosco in The Woman in White

Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady

Pastor Manders in Ghosts

Seasons with The New Shakespeare Company and Chichester Festival Theatre

Somerset Maugham's The Letter at the Wyndham's Theatre, London (2007)

References

External links

Category:English television actors Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:People from Finchley Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:1948 births Category:Living people

Andreas Scholl (born 10 November 1967) is a German countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto vocal range. He specialises in Baroque music. His range is the same as that of the celebrated 18th century alto castrato, Senesino, for whom Handel wrote his greatest alto roles. Fanfare Magazine says: "There are more excellent countertenors before the public today than ever before, but one stands out above all others, as Caruso among tenors a century ago: Andreas Scholl". In 2005, Scholl became the first countertenor (and the first German) to appear as a solo performer at The Last Night of the Proms in London.

Childhood

Scholl was born on 10 November 1967 in Eltville, Germany, and grew up in neighboring Kiedrich. All of his family members were singers. He was enrolled at the age of seven into the Kiedricher Chorbuben (Kiedrich Choir-Boys) — which was first documented in 1333 as "a schola of men assisting the priests on all Sundays, singing the Gregorian chants." At age 13, Andreas Scholl sang the second boy (his sister Elisabeth sang the first boy) in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Wiesbaden Staatstheater. That same year, he was one of 20,000 choristers from all over the world gathered in Rome for a festival where Scholl was chosen to sing solo at Mass on 4 January 1981 and met Pope John Paul II. Along with his fellow choristers, Andreas Scholl was an extra in the film The Name of the Rose, playing a young monk standing alongside Sean Connery in scenes shot at Eberbach Abbey, near Kiedrich.

Musical education

Scholl was 17 when the extent of his ability was recognized by the Chorbuben's voice coach from the Darmstadt Music Academy. He then sang for the tenor/countertenor Herbert Klein, who advised him that there were only two places he should study: either in London or at the early music conservatoire in Basel, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Since an uncle had introduced Scholl to the voices of Paul Esswood and James Bowman, the leading European countertenors of the day, Scholl chose Bowman as a role model. Scholl sent a demo tape to René Jacobs to evaluate his talent. This resulted in Jacobs inviting Scholl to visit the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. However, Scholl had no first degree. Although the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis only offered post-graduate courses, Scholl was subsequently offered admission on the strength and quality of his voice after singing a Schubert song for the admissions board — which included René Jacobs.

At the Schola, Andreas Scholl's teacher was Richard Levitt, followed by Jacobs in his second year. Violinist Chiara Banchini and soprano Emma Kirkby were major influences, as Scholl began to specialise in the music of the Baroque. Scholl additionally studied with soprano Evelyn Tubb and lutenist Anthony Rooley. In addition to the Diploma of Ancient Music, for which his external examiner was James Bowman, Andreas Scholl garnered prizes from the Council of Europe and the Foundation Claude Nicolas Ledoux, and awards from Switzerland's Association Migros and Ernst Göhner Foundation.

Andreas Scholl now teaches interpretation in the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, succeeding his own teacher, Richard Levitt, and is in much demand for master classes.

Professional debut and early performances

In 1993, Scholl stood in for René Jacobs at Jacobs' request at the Théâtre Grévin in Paris, causing a sensation. This performance of Bach’s Johannespassion was broadcast on Good Friday to a radio audience which included William Christie. Shortly thereafter, Christie and Scholl met on a train. The 1994 recording of Handel's Messiah with Les Arts Florissants resulted directly from this meeting.

In 1998 he and his sister performed in Bach's St Matthew Passion, with Max Ciolek as the Evangelist and Max van Egmond as the Vox Christi, in St. Martin, Idstein.

External links

Harrison Parrott artist management

Discography

The Andreas Scholl Society not-for-profit independent site with future concerts, past performances, extended biography, full discography, list of all recorded tracks indexed by composer, photo archive, early music links, index of world countertenors, audio samples, message board.

Harmonia Mundi Scholl's main recording label 1994–1998 (exclusive) and 2007 to date (not exclusive).

Newpast Records Scholl's pop label from 2007.

Decca Classics Scholl's recording label (exclusive) from 1999 to 2007.

Short biography (German) at KlassikAkzente.

Scholl's new MySpace page with audio clips from his own studio.

Andreas Scholl sings from Mozart's Mitridate

Germany special: The Rhine Valley Interview with Andreas Scholl by Kieran Falconer, The Independent, 9 April 2006

/http://www.u-sophia.com//Salon-Online/Guests/Andreas-Scholl Andreas' on-line meetings at U-Sophia, where minds meet on-line

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:German singers Category:Countertenors Category:Operatic countertenors Category:Performers of early music Category:Schola Cantorum Basiliensis alumni Category:Schola Cantorum Basiliensis faculty

Birth name	Alan Arthur Bates
Birth date	February 17, 1934
Birth place	Allestree, Derbyshire, England
Death date	December 27, 2003
Death place	Westminster, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–2003
Spouse	Victoria Ward (1970–1992)[Her death]}}

Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (17 February 193427 December 2003) was an English actor.

Early life

Bates was born in Allestree, Derby, Derbyshire, England on 17 February 1934, the eldest of three sons of Florence Mary (née Wheatcroft), a homemaker and a pianist, and Harold Arthur Bates, an insurance broker and a cellist. In 1994 Curry died from AIDS in Bates' arms. Throughout his life Bates sought to be regarded as a ladies' man or at least as a man who, as an actor, could appear attractive to and attracted by women.

In the later years of his life, Bates' companion was his lifelong friend, actress Joanna Pettet, his co-star in the 1964 Broadway play Poor Richard. They divided their time between New York and London.

Death

Bates died of pancreatic cancer in 2003.

Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates

The posthumous publication of Donald Spoto's 2007 book, Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates, is the only authorized biography of Alan Bates. It was written with the full and complete cooperation of his son Benedick Bates and Bates' younger brother Martin, and includes more than one hundred interviews with people such as Michael Linnit and Rosalind Chatto.

Tristan Bates Theatre

Bates and his family set up the Tristan Bates Theatre at the Actors' Centre in Covent Garden, in memory of his son, Tristan, who died at the age of 19. Tristan's twin brother, Benedick, is a vice-director.

Selected filmography

It's Never too Late (1956)

The Entertainer (1960)

Whistle Down the Wind (1961)

A Kind of Loving (1962)

The Caretaker (1963)

The Running Man (1963)

Zorba the Greek (1964)

Nothing But the Best (1964)

Once Upon a Tractor (1965)

Georgy Girl (1966)

Roi de coeur, Le (1966) (AKA "King of Hearts")

Far From the Madding Crowd (1967)

The Fixer (1968)

Women in Love (1969)

Three Sisters (1970)

The Go-Between (1970)

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972)

Story of a Love Story (1973)

Butley (1974)

In Celebration (1975)

Royal Flash (1975)

An Unmarried Woman (1978)

The Shout (1978)

The Rose (1979)

Nijinsky (1980)

Very Like a Whale (1981)

Rece do góry (1981)

The Trespasser (1981)

Quartet (1981)

The Return of the Soldier (1982)

Britannia Hospital (1982)

A Voyage Round My Father (1982)

Separate Tables (1983)

An Englishman Abroad (1983)

The Wicked Lady (1983)

Dr. Fischer of Geneva (1985)

Duet for One (1986)

A Prayer for the Dying (1987)

We Think the World of You (1988)

Force majeure (1989)

The Dog It Was That Died (1989)

Mister Frost (1990)

102 Boulevard Haussmann (1990)

Hamlet (1990)

Dr. M (1990)

Shuttlecock (1991)

Secret Friends (1991)

Losing Track (1992)

Silent Tongue (1994)

The Grotesque (1995)

Oliver's Travels (1995)

Nicholas' Gift (1998)

The Cherry Orchard (1999)

The Prince and the Pauper (2000)

Arabian Nights (2000)

(2000)

In the Beginning (2000)

Gosford Park (2001)

Love in a Cold Climate (2001)

Bertie and Elizabeth (2002)

The Sum of All Fears (2002)

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Evelyn (2002)

Salem Witch Trials (2002)

Hollywood North (2003)

Meanwhile (2003)

The Statement (2003)

Spartacus (2004)

Other projects and contributions

When Love Speaks (2002, EMI Classics)—"Sonnet 66" ("Tired with all these, for restful death I cry")

Awards

2002 Best Actor Tony and Drama Desk, for Fortune's Fool

2000 Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award for Unexpected Man

1983 Variety Club Award for A Patriot for Me

1975 Variety Club Award for Otherwise Engaged

1971 Evening Standard Best Actor Award for Butley

1972 Best Actor Tony for Butley (a performance he recreated in the film version of the same name, Butley in 1974)

1959 Clarence Derwent Award for A Long Day's Journey Into Night

References

External links

The Alan Bates Archive

Category:1934 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Actors awarded British knighthoods Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:Audio book narrators Category:Bisexual actors Category:Cancer deaths in England Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:English film actors Category:English radio actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:LGBT people from England Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Derby Category:Royal Air Force personnel Category:Royal National Theatre Company members Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:Shakespearean actors Category:Tony Award winners