Anne Evans
Encyclopedia
Dame Anne Evans DBE
(born 20 August 1941) is an international Welsh
operatic soprano.
of Welsh descent. She studied at the Royal College of Music
with among others Margaret Cable, and the Geneva Conservatoire. She was accepted into the conservatoire without actually having had any formal training as a singer. For her audition she surprisingly did Carmen. She started out as a mezzo at the Royal College, but one of her teachers immediately recognised her soprano potential.
1967 in Geneva
and went on to make her debut in a leading role in 1968 as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte
at the then Sadler's Wells, later English National Opera
in 1968 to critical acclaim.
In the early years of her career, she sang many of the leading Puccini
and Mozart
soprano roles, like Tosca
and Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. In the late sixties she started to work with the lighter Wagner
roles, like Elsa in Lohengrin
and Senta in The Flying Dutchman
, roles that became her trade mark. However, it was the role of Brünnhilde that would earn her international fame, most notably in the Wagner temple of Bayreuth
in 1989-1992, a performance which was also captured on CD and video (now transferred to DVD), conducted by Daniel Barenboim
. This performance also earned her an Olivier Award. She also played Isolde in Tristan und Isolde
, a role often considered to be her finest achievement.
Being a spinto soprano rather than a dramatic one, the voice of Evans has been one of the strongest influences on the contemporary trend of "less vocal brawn and more brain" in Wagnerian singing.
Anne Evans was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2000.
doing excerpts from her celebrated Isolde and other Wagner performances.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 20 August 1941) is an international Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
operatic soprano.
Education
Anne Elizabeth Jane Evans was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
of Welsh descent. She studied at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
with among others Margaret Cable, and the Geneva Conservatoire. She was accepted into the conservatoire without actually having had any formal training as a singer. For her audition she surprisingly did Carmen. She started out as a mezzo at the Royal College, but one of her teachers immediately recognised her soprano potential.
Career
Evans made her debut as Countess Ceprano in RigolettoRigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
1967 in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and went on to make her debut in a leading role in 1968 as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
at the then Sadler's Wells, later English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
in 1968 to critical acclaim.
In the early years of her career, she sang many of the leading Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
and Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
soprano roles, like Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
and Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. In the late sixties she started to work with the lighter Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
roles, like Elsa in Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
and Senta in The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
, roles that became her trade mark. However, it was the role of Brünnhilde that would earn her international fame, most notably in the Wagner temple of Bayreuth
Bayreuth Festspielhaus
The or Bayreuth Festival Theatre is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, dedicated solely to the performance of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner...
in 1989-1992, a performance which was also captured on CD and video (now transferred to DVD), conducted by Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
. This performance also earned her an Olivier Award. She also played Isolde in Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
, a role often considered to be her finest achievement.
Being a spinto soprano rather than a dramatic one, the voice of Evans has been one of the strongest influences on the contemporary trend of "less vocal brawn and more brain" in Wagnerian singing.
Anne Evans was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2000.
Retirement
In 2003 she retired from performing to dedicate herself to giving Master Classes and to coach other British singers in Wagnerian performance techniques. Her last public performance was in 2005 in a comeback performance in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
doing excerpts from her celebrated Isolde and other Wagner performances.
Sources
- BBC WalesBBC WalesBBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
, Biography (Cardiff Singer of the World 2005 Jury] - Skramstad, Per-Erik, Interview with Anne Evans, wagneropera.net
External links
- Anne Evans at the IMDB