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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Kathleen Ferrier Broadcasts & Live Recordings (Remastered)
Opera - Released by Andromeda on Sep 1, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kathleen Ferrier sings Lieder
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Musical Concepts on Nov 8, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Kathleen Ferrier, Julius Patzak, Bruno Walter, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Infinity on Mar 17, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler Das Lied von der Erde
Kathleen Ferrier, Julius Patzak
Classical - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on Nov 18, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Folk Songs
Folk - Released by Blue Pie Records USA on Jan 1, 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gustav Mahler & Gaetano Donizetti: Das Lied von der Erde - Lucia di Lammermoor
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Oct 11, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach & Handel Arias [1953 Recording] (Adrian Boult – The Decca Legacy II, Vol. 5)
Kathleen Ferrier, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Singers - Kathleen Ferrier, Vol. 4, Recordings 1949-1951
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on Jan 10, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
Jo Vincent, Kathleen Ferrier, Otto Klemperer, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Holland Festival Chorus
Classical - Released by Infinity on Jul 1, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ferrier Sings Handel, Bach, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, Chausson
Classical - Released by Urania on Feb 4, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ffrr Pioneers, Vol. 5: J. S. Bach - St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Pt. 2
Reginald Jacques, Kathleen Ferrier, The Bach Choir
Classical - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on Sep 30, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Northumbrian, Elizabethan and Irish Folk Songs
Folk - Released by Shellac Revival on Aug 17, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Broadcast Recital
Pop - Released by Blue Pie Records USA on Jan 1, 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann - Frauenliebe Und Leben, Op. 42
Classical - Released by Blue Pie Records USA on Jan 1, 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collection of the vienna philharmonic orchestra, Vol. 1
Kathleen Ferrier, Julius Patzak, Karl Böhm, Bruno Walter, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Infinity on Dec 29, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ffrr Pioneers, Vol. 5: J. S. Bach - St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Pt. 1
Kathleen Ferrier, Reginald Jacques, The Bach Choir
Classical - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on Sep 30, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolf: Lieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Kathleen Ferrier, Irmgard Seefried
Classical - Released by Past Classics on Feb 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of Kathleen Ferrier
Opera - Released by Past Classics on Jun 2, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
An Anthology
Opera - Released by Blue Pie Records USA on Jan 1, 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Legendary Voice
Classical - Released by Cclassics on Jan 14, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo