Kathleen Ferrier
Her story mixes fairytale and tragedy. She is also a paradox: if Kathleen Ferrier remains very much a presence in the hearts of music lovers more than 65 years after her death; her career was very brief, 6 years in all; and she made very few records. But the story of the young, beautiful postal telephonist who became an adored singer cut down in her prime by sickness remains a tangible example of the injustice of fate. Kathleen Ferrier was above all an exceptional contralto, warm, profound, strong and natural: she inspired emotion. She started her performances in small recitals as a pianist. Then, as she accompanied and listened to singers, she learned to sing for her own amusement, without taking things seriously, and with a modesty that she would retain throughout her period of fame and success.
It was in the middle of the Second World War that Kathleen Ferrier began to emerge. In 1943, she sang Handel's Messiah alongside Peter Pears in Westminster Abbey, an appearance which marked the start of her recognition. Presented to the great pianist Gerald Moore, she made sallies into recording with him, working on Brahms's Lieder for EMI, but Kathleen didn't get along with Walter Legge, the firms all-powerful producer. She would then head to DECCA, who would record her touchstone pieces which are the pride of today's serious record collections: Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder and Das Lied von der Erde, under the direction of the composer's great friend and disciple, Bruno Walter.
In 1946, after much hesitation, she agreed to sing the title role in the Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten at the Glyndebourne festival, under the direction of Ernest Ansermet. The following year, this same festival would mark Kathleen Ferrier's début when Bruno Walter, who was reticent at first, agreed to take her on to sing Das Lied von der Erde, under his direction. A great friendship was kindled between the two and Bruno Walter opened all the doors of the world of Mahler, and those of New York the following year, by introducing her to Kindertotenlieder of which she would deliver a stunning rendition, as if Mahler had thought of her voice when he wrote the piece. It is rare that any work has been so permanently marked by a performer.
Her career sped up rapidly in the USA and in Europe: New York, London, Glyndebourne, Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna where she sang the Mass in B Minor with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf under Karajan's baton. She began to record for studios. The future looked bright - but breast cancer, incurable at the time, cut short the young woman's life at the age of 41. The rest is history: and her rare records bear witness today to her art and the fervour of her performances.
© FH / Qobuz
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Brahms : Rhapsodie pour contralto - Mahler : Kindertotenlieder & Airs de Bach, Haendel, Purcell, Lotti & Parry (Diapason n°563)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on Jul 28, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde, 3 Rückert Lieder (1952)
Kathleen Ferrier, Julius Patzak, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Kathleen Ferrier, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 30, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ernest Chausson: Symphonie, Poème de l'amour et de la mer - Claude Debussy: Printemps
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, Kathleen Ferrier, Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Symphonies - Released by Praga Digitals on Oct 1, 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier: Récital Bach & Haendel
Kathleen Ferrier, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - "Resurrection"
Kathleen Ferrier, Jo Vincent, Amsterdam Toonkunst Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Edition
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ferrier Sings Bach: Arias & Scenes from Mass in B Minor & St. Matthew Passion
Classical - Released by Urania on Apr 30, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde by Bruno Walter (Remastered 2021)
Bruno Walter, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Kathleen Ferrier
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on Dec 13, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier in New York in 1948 (New mastering)
Bruno Walter, Set Svanholm, Kathleen Ferrier, New York Philharmonic, John Newmark
Classical - Released by SOMM Recordings on Jan 3, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Plays Brahms, Mahler & Gluck
Kathleen Ferrier, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter, John Newmark
Mélodies - Released by Praga Digitals on May 5, 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Vol. 8 - Blow the Wind Southerly
Kathleen Ferrier, Phyllis Spurr, John Newmark
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
20th-Century British Treasures (Live)
Classical - Released by SOMM Recordings on Jan 1, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler (Kindertotenlieder) - Gluck - Greene - Handel - Mendelssohn - Purcell
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 9, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Remembered
Classical - Released by SOMM Recordings on Jun 2, 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: 4 Lieder - Schumann: Fraunliebe und Leben, Volksliedchen, Widmung - Brahms: Vier Ernste Gesänge - Wolf: Mörike Lieder
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Urania on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Kathleen Ferrier, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Wiener Symphoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 16, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier (Vol. 10) : Brahms - Mahler
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Vol. 7 - Bach / Handel
Kathleen Ferrier, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Kathleen Ferrier Centenary Collection
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Musical Concepts on Jun 5, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete EMI Recordings. Handel, Mahler, Gluck, Purcell...
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Apr 16, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo