October 31, 2006. Copyright 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Joan Sutherland, operaÕs Grande Dame, turns 80
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, October 31, Graphic News:  If today the term ÒdivaÓ has become synonymous with the whims of many a spoiled modern songstress, Dame Joan Sutherland reminds us of its original meaning: as she approaches her 80th birthday on November 7, the singer has few equals in the history of opera.

With one of the longest and most distinguished careers in the genre, SutherlandÕs repertoire includes towering performances as legendary female characters including Lucia di Lammermoor, Lucrezia Borgia and Cleopatra. She is particularly renowned for her contribution to the bel canto revival of the 1950s and 1960s.

Born in Sydney, Australia, in 1926, Sutherland was the daughter of a tailor, who died during her childhood, and a mezzo-soprano who gave up her own career to raise children. She has said that she grew up surrounded by music and that her mother encouraged her to sing. She worked briefly as a secretary before first place in a national vocal competition took her off to London to study opera at the Royal College of Music.

Originally, it was SutherlandÕs intention to study to follow in the footsteps of her idol, mezzo-soprano Kirsten Flagstad. It was only after she met her future husband, conductor and pianist Richard Bonynge, that she decided to devote her energies to the more varied bel canto. The couple were married in 1954.

After her performance in DonizettiÕs Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera House established her as a serious talent in 1959, Sutherland began collecting accolades wherever and whenever she sang. After singing the title role in HandelÕs Alcina at La Fenice in Venice in 1960, she was nicknamed La Stupenda (the stupendous one). The name would outlast her career.

In her prime, Sutherland was revered not just for an extraordinary vocal ability that enabled her to take on even the most difficult parts, but also her crystal clear diction and a self-deprecating wit that made her perfectly suited for comic roles, such as Marie in La Fille du Regiment. She also won plaudits for her performances as Violetta (La Traviata), Amina (La Sonnambula), and Marguerite de Valois (Les Huguenots).

Sutherland -- even her mane of red hair befitted her ÒlionessÓ quality -- was a forceful stage presence whose 1960 album The Art of the Prima Donna is among the best-selling opera albums of all time.

Off-stage, she was known to be a hard-working professional who eschewed petty gossip and rivalries, and who maintained a demanding work schedule throughout her career.

Despite advancing years, Sutherland still tackled even very difficult roles late into her career. Her final public appearance was on New YearÕs Eve in 1990, when she appeared at Covent Garden in Die Fledermaus.

In 1975 Sutherland was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, and three years later she was created a Dame of the British Empire. In 1991 the Queen bestowed on Dame Joan the Order of Merit, one of Britain and AustraliaÕs highest honours and solely within the QueenÕs personal gift. In 2004 she received a Kennedy Center Honour for outstanding achievement throughout her career. She still judges vocal competitions around the world.
/ENDS