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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Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Mono Version)
Kathleen Ferrier, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms : Rhapsodie pour contralto - Mahler : Kindertotenlieder & Airs de Bach, Haendel, Purcell, Lotti & Parry (Diapason n°563)
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on 28 jul. 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
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde & Symphony No. 4 - Mozart: Symphony No. 38 (Recorded 1952-1955) [Live]
Julius Patzak, Kathleen Ferrier, Hilde Güden, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by Andromeda on 29 apr. 2014
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Centenary Edition - The Complete Decca Recordings
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 2012
Stereophile: Record To Die For16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ferrier Sings Bach: Arias & Scenes from Mass in B Minor & St. Matthew Passion
Klassiek - Released by Urania on 30 apr. 2004
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
Symfonieën - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 okt. 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier: Récital Bach & Haendel
Kathleen Ferrier, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 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
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (Mono Version)
Kathleen Ferrier, Bruno Walter, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
In memoriam (Mono Version)
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Récital Bach (Mono Version)
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
In memoriam (Mono Version)
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Edition
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Kathleen Ferrier, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 30 okt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Sings Bach and Handel
Klassiek - Released by Musical Concepts on 18 feb. 2022
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
Klassiek - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 13 dec. 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
Klassiek - Released by SOMM Recordings on 3 jan. 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Plays Brahms, Mahler & Gluck
Kathleen Ferrier, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter, John Newmark
Liederen - Released by Praga Digitals on 5 mei 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier Vol. 8 - Blow the Wind Southerly
Kathleen Ferrier, Phyllis Spurr, John Newmark
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
20th-Century British Treasures (Live)
Klassiek - Released by SOMM Recordings on 1 jan. 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo