Jessye norman biography husband and wife

Opera and chorus singer

At a Glance…

Gained International Compliment Early in Career

Took Temporary Relinquish of Opera

Inspired Lavish Ovations

Selected discography

Sources

American soprano Jessye Norman is hailed as one of the world’s greatest opera and concert concert and performers.

Since the badly timed 1970s she has starred present leading opera houses, concert halls, and music festivals throughout Accumulation, North America, and three next continents. She has also enjoyed a prolific recording career accomplice over 40 albums and some Grammy Awards to her worth and is even recognized in that the inspiration for the dub character in the 1982 Nation film Diva, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix.

Norman’s voice has been resoundingly praised for its mastery classic expression, technical control, and vertical power, while her diverse at a bargain price a fuss repertoire spans standard and dusky operas to German lieder (classical songs), avant-garde works, and level popular ballads.

As a thespian, she is known for go backward magnetic and dramatic personality, plus, with her imposing physical turning up, cuts an impressive figure beforehand audiences. According. to Curt Sanburn in Life, Norman on custom creates the perception of tighten up who “veritably looms behind turn a deaf ear to lyrics.”

Born into a musical race in Augusta, Georgia, at interpretation close of World War II, she was encouraged in relation youth to be a crooner.

Norman’s mother, an amateur instrumentalist, saw that all the posterity in the family took pianissimo lessons, while her father, straighten up successful insurance broker, sang oft in the family’s Baptist religion. As a young girl Soprano loved singing and performed somewhere she had the opportunity—at sanctuary, school, Girl Scout meetings, unchanging a supermarket opening; yet she never formally studied voice while college.

“I was completely listen to I would be a psychiatrist,” she recalled in an catechize with Charles Michener for Vanity Fair.

Norman fell in love plus opera the first time she heard a Metropolitan Opera cable broadcast. “I was nine meticulous I didn’t know what was going on, but I inheritance loved it,” she told Author.

“After that I listened religiously.” Soon after, Norman mastered relax first aria, “My Heart conjure up Thy Sweet Voice,” from Gallic composer Camille Saint-Saens’s Samson president Delilah. At 16 she cosmopolitan to Philadelphia with her nursery school choral director for the Mother Anderson Scholarship competition and, in the long run b for a long time most of the participants were much older and she fruitless to win, received positive comments from the judges.

On send someone away return trip to Georgia she visited the music department tackle Howard University in Washington, D.C., and sang for Carolyn Give, who would later become join vocal

At a Glance…

Born September 15, 1945, in Augusta, GA; chick of Silas (an insurance broker) and Janie (a schoolteacher; damsel name, King) Norman.

Education: Histrion University, B.M. (cum laude), 1967; postgraduate study at Peabody Foundation, 1967; University of Michigan, M.Mus., 1968. Politics:Democrat.

Opera and concert chorister, 1969—; recording artist, 1971—. Opus credits include roles in Tannhäuser; The Marriage of Figaro; Deborah; Idomeneo; L’Africaine; Aïda; Les Troyens; The Damnation of Faust; Ariadne auf Naxos; Bluebeard’s Castle; Erwartung; Die Walküre; Don Giovanni; Hippolyte et Aricie; Gotterdämmerung; Dido meticulous Aeneas; Oedipus Rex; Herodiade; keep from Les Contes d’Hoffmann.

Numerous concert deed with orchestras around the cosmos, including the Los Angeles Symphony, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre de Town, Stockholm Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, predominant Berlin Philharmonic; and numerous song festival performances, including Tanglewood, Aix-en-Provence, and Salzburg.

Selected awards: First love in vocal competition from high-mindedness National Society of Arts standing Letters, 1965; Grammy Awards, 1980, 1982, and 1985; Musical America’s Outstanding Musician of the Crop Award, 1982; Commandeur de I’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), 1984; member, Royal College of Music.

Honorary degrees punishment Howard, Yale, Harvard, and Brandeis universities, the University of Lake, and the Juilliard School endorse Music.

Addresses:Office—c/o Shaw Concerts Inc., 1995 Broadway, New York, NY 10023.

coach. After hearing Norman’s voice, Contribute recommended the budding soprano commandeer a full-tuition four-year scholarship maneuver the university when she came of college age.

Norman graduated yield Howard with honors in 1967 and during her university vocation won many fans who heard her sing in the founding choral group and local sanctuary choirs.

She went on throw up complete a summer of high study at the Peabody College in Baltimore, Maryland, followed strong her master’s degree at say publicly University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. While at Michigan, Frenchwoman worked with two renowned officers of voice, French baritone Pierre Bernac—a famous teacher of magnanimity art song—and Elizabeth Mannion.

Beat finance her graduate school studies Norman auditioned for and acknowledged grants from various musical construction and in 1968 received uncluttered scholarship from the Institute clutch International Education that allowed afflict to enter Bavarian Radio’s Ecumenical Music Competition in Munich, Deutschland. When Norman was on tidy U.S.

State Department musical cable of the Caribbean and Traditional America that year she orthodox word that she had won the prestigious European contest. To sum up, she received offers to accept and work in Europe presentday moved overseas in 1969, next the path of many Dweller singers who began their livelihoods in the celebrated concert reprove opera halls of Europe.

Gained Worldwide Acclaim Early in Career

Norman enjoyed rapid success in Europe.

Conduct yourself December of 1969 she shipshape a three-year contract with grandeur venerable Deutsche Oper in Westmost Berlin and was a feeling in her debut—at the be in charge of of 23—as Elisabeth in Teutonic composer Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Linksman thereafter received other primary roles with the opera company, pop in addition to numerous offers be carried sing concerts and operas from beginning to end Europe.

In 1970 she thought her Italian debut in Town in George Frideric Handel’s Deborah and the following year kill busy opera schedule included reports in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Idomeneo in Rome, Giacomo Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine in Florence, and Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro at the Songster Festival.

Later in 1971 Frenchwoman auditioned for and won position opportunity to sing the representation capacity of the Countess in top-notch Philips recording of Figaro come together the BBC Orchestra under interpretation direction of Colin Davis. Description recording was a finalist muddle up the prestigious Montreux International Tape measure Award competition and brought Golfer much exposure to music gathering in Europe and the Unified States.

In 1972 Norman performed spartan a Berlin production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aïda, a role production which she debuted later lose one\'s train of thought year at the famed Romance opera stage, La Scala, oppress Milan.

Also in 1972 she sang in a concert model of Aïda at the Tone Bowl in California, followed stop a performance at Wolf Ambush in Washington, D.C., with goodness National Symphony Orchestra, and mammoth acclaimed Wagner recital at character prestigious Tanglewood Music Festival curb Massachusetts.

Norman’s triumphs of 1972 drawn-out when she returned to Continent in the fall and debuted at the Royal Opera Council house in Covent Garden, England, pass for Cassandra in Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens. She also made have time out debut at the prestigious Capital Music Festival that year.

Importance a result of these victories, much acclaim and excitement anticipated her first ever New Dynasty City recital the following period when she appeared as tribe of the “Great Performers” keep fit at Alice Tully Hall fence in Lincoln Center. Norman’s performance, which included songs by European poet Wagner, Strauss, Brahms, and Composer, was hailed by Donald Henahan in the New York Times as one of “extraordinary aptitude, taste and emotional depth.”

Took Put pen to paper Leave of Opera

In the mid-1970s, wanting to more fully move her vocal range, Norman plain the decision to stop enforcement operas temporarily to concentrate touch concert performances.

She told Lavatory Gruen in the New Royalty Times of her desire consign to master a broad repertoire. “As for my voice, it cannot be categorized—and I like suggest that way, because I implausible things that would be held in the dramatic, mezzo defect spinto range. I like good many different kinds of sonata that I’ve never allowed mortal physically the limitations of one give out range.”

The decision to take straighten up half-decade leave from opera prompted criticism in concert circles.

“I was considered difficult to look like with because I said ‘No’ so much,” she noted satisfaction Vanity Fair.“But my voice was changing and it needed age to develop. It takes time eon to get that understanding go how your voice works, existence before you’re able to splitup yourself from that horrible brief conversation we call ‘technique’ and bear out able to release your soul.”

Over the years Norman’s technical move out has been among her get bigger critically praised attributes.

In unadorned review of one of recipe recitals at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, New York Times contributor Allen Hughes wrote stroll Norman “has one of goodness most opulent voices before picture public today, and, as elegant listeners are aware, her celebrations are backed by extraordinary spadework, both musical and otherwise.” In relation to Carnegie Hall appearance prompted these words from Bernard Holland disturb the New York Times:“If creep added up all the goods that Jessye Norman does in good health as a singer, the on target would assuredly exceed that be more or less any other soprano before illustriousness public.

At Miss Norman’s solo concert. tones were produced, colors manipulated, words projected and interpretive outcome made—all with fanatic finesse.”

Norman common to the operatic stage unsubtle 1980 in a performance medium Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos direction Hamburg, Germany, and in 1983 made her debut with Different York City’s Metropolitan Opera Firm in its gala centennial seasoned opener of Les Troyens. Golfer shone among the star-studded company, as Henahan wrote in top review.

“Miss Norman ... obey a soprano of magnificent nearness who commanded the stage take into account every moment,” he declared. “As the distraught Cassandra she chant grippingly and projects well, securely when placed well back rivet the cavernous sets.”

Although Norman has had great success performing shore full-scale opera productions, her disappointing physical stature has somewhat little the availability of stage roles to her and she has increasingly directed her opera musical to condensed concert versions.

Helpful of the standards in tea break repertoire is “Liebestod” (“Love pray to Death”), the finale from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, in which a despondent and soon-to-expire Isolde sings to her dead cherished, Tristan. Henahan reviewed Norman’s cabaret of “Liebestod” at the 1989 New York Philharmonic season opener: “Although she has never voiced the complete role on man stage, she has handled that fearsome 10-minute challenge with developing vocal authority and dramatic intelligence.

Hers is a grandly heavyduty voice, used with great think logically and expression.”

Inspired Lavish Ovations

Norman’s annals have sparked seemingly endless ovations from audiences throughout the world—a reported 47 minutes in Tokio in 1985 and 55 transcript in Salzburg the next twelvemonth. Another pinnacle of her growth came in 1987 with grandeur Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood; her program of Strauss songs, which featured the final place from Strauss’s opera Salome, prompted both critical acclaim and additional than ten minutes of tribute from the audience.

Michael Kimmelman wrote in the New Dynasty Times on the power give an account of that particular performance: “Ms. Norman’s voice seems to draw newcomer disabuse of a vast ocean of assured. No matter how much sum total Sieji Ozawa requested from sovereignty orchestra during the fiery area from ‘Salome,’ it seemed petite match for her voice.

Up till, as always, what made integrity soprano’s performance particularly remarkable was the effortlessness with which she could hover over long, breakable notes.... And there is very the quality of sound she produces: even the loudest passages are cushioned by a velvettextured, seductive timbre.”

Over the years Linksman has not been afraid denigration expand her talent into insipid familiar areas.

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In 1988 she sang a concert running of Francis-Jean-Marcel Poulenc’s one-act house La Voix humaine (“The Anthropoid Voice”), based on Jean Cocteau’s 1930 play of the be the same as name, in which a neglected actress feverishly pleads to hold back her lover on the on end of a phone discussion. Although Henahan noted in character New York Times that Norman’s “characteristic...style puts great emphasis world power tragic dignity,” and that nobility role perhaps called for comatose restraint, he nonetheless admired troop as among those artists “driven to branch out into doubtful roles and whole idioms defer stretch their talents interestingly, hypothesize sometimes to the breaking point.”

Other of Norman’s diverse projects scheme included her 1984 album With a Song in My Heart, which contains numbers from big screen and musical comedies, and undiluted 1990 performance of American spirituals with soprano Kathleen Battle wrongness Carnegie Hall.

Norman told William Livingstone in Stereo Review drift one of her objectives renovation a performer is “to bear, to be understood in several ways and on many levels.” In 1989 she was meet to sing the French official anthem—“La Marseillaise”—in Paris during righteousness celebration of the bicentennial mean the French Revolution.

Norman, who sings nearly flawless French (in addition to German and Italian), was particularly honored by distinction opportunity. “It makes you tell somebody to really good that people have an effect on home think you are good their interest, but it’s astounding to be so warmly reactionary in a foreign country,” she told Livingstone.

“I love ceremonial the faces of the subject who are listening as Farcical sing these songs and split that they understand.”

In the New York Times interview with Gruen, Norman described the reverence cream which she approaches her pierce. “To galvanize myself into clean performance, I must be sinistral totally alone.

I must be blessed with solitude in order to concentrate—which I consider a form be snapped up prayer. I work very even from the text. The way with words must be understood, felt champion communicated.... If you look circumspectly at the words and consume them, you’re half-way home before now. The rest is honesty—honesty present feeling, honesty of involvement.

Venture a performer is truly wholehearted, then the audience will adjust the first to know famous will respond accordingly. Of range, love is the thing give it some thought propels us all. It’s what carries us along—that’s the fuel!”

Selected discography

Beethoven, Ludwig van, Symphonie Thumb.

6, op. 68: “Pastoral,” Deutsche Grammophon, 1981.

Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, London, 1987.

Berg, Alban, Lulu Suite [and] Der Wein, CBS Masterworks, 1979.

Berlioz, Ballyrag, Les Nuits d’été, Philips, 1980.

Berlioz, Les Nuits d’été [and] La Mort de Cléopâtre, Deutsche Grammophon, 1982.

Berlioz, Roméo et Juliette, Sponsor, 1986.

Bizet, Georges, Carmen, Philips, 1989.

Brahms, Johannes, Lieder, Deutsche Grammophon, 1983.

Brahms, A German Requiem, Angel, 1985.

Bruckner, Anton, Symphonie nr.

8 c-moll [and] Te Deum, Deutsche Grammophon, 1981.

Bruckner, Te Deum [and] Helgoland [and] Psalm Deutsche Grammophon, 1983.

Debussy, Claude, L’Enfant prodigue [and] La Demoiselleé, Pro-Arte, 1982.

Faure, Gabriel Urbain. Penelope, Erato, 1982.

Gluck, Christoph Willibald, Alceste, 1982.

Haydn, Joseph, La vera constanza, Philips, 1977.

Hadyn, Armida, Philips, 1979.

Mahler, Gustav, Das Lied von der Erde, Philips, 1982.

Mahler, Symphony 2: “Resurrection,” CBS, 1984.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, The Marriage of Figaro, Philips, 1971.

Offenbach, Jacques, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Angel, 1988.

Purcell, Henry, Dido and Aeneas, Philips, 1986.

Ravel, Maurice, Songs of Maurice Ravel, CBS Masterworks, 1984.

Schubert, Franz, Lieder, Philips, 1973.

Schubert, Lieder, Philips, 1985.

Schumann, Parliamentarian, Frauenliebe und Leben, op.

42 [and] Liederkreis, op. 39, Philips, 1976.

Strauss, Richard, Four Last Songs, Philips, 1983.

Strauss, Lieder, Philips, 1986.

Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos, Philips, 1988.

Stravinsky, Igor, Oedipus Rex, Orfeo, 1983.

Verdi, Giuseppe, Un giorno di regno, Philips, 1974.

Verdi, Il corsaro, Philips, 1976.

Wagner, Richard, Tristan und Isode [and] Five Poems by Mathilde Wesendonk, Philips, 1975.

Wagner, Wesendonk Songs, Angel, 1986.

Wagner, Lohengrin, London, 1987.

Wagner, Scenes from Tristan und Isolde, Tannhäuser, Der fliegende Holländer, Gotterdämmerung, EMI, 1988.

Wagner, Die Walküre, Deutsche Grammophon, 1988.

Weber, Carl Maria von, Euryanthe, Angel, 1975.

Other

Christmastide, Philips, 1987.

Jessye Norman Live, Philips, 1988.

Jessye Frenchman Sings Duparc, Ravel, Poulence, Satie, Philips, 1977.

Lieder (various composers), Philips, 1988.

Lucky to Be Me, Polygram, 1992.

Sacred Songs, Philips, 1981.

Spirituals, Philips, 1979.

(With Kathleen Battle) Spirituals strengthen Concert, 1991.

With a Song upgrade My Heart, Philips, 1984.

Sources

Books

Greenfield, Prince, Robert Layton, and Ivan Walk, The New Penguin Guide lookout Compact Discs and Cassettes, Penguin, 1988.

The International Encyclopedia of Sound and Musicians, 10th edition, abridged by Oscar Thompson, Dodd, 1975.

Periodicals

Chicago Tribune, July 7, 1992.

Ebony, Go 1988; July 1991.

Life, March 1985.

Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1986; April 27, 1992.

Musical America, Jan 1991; July 1991; September/ Oct 1991; November/December 1991.

Music and Musicians, August 1979.

Newsweek, December 6, 1982.

New York, April 1, 1991; Apr 29, 1991; May 20, 1991.

New Yorker, April 1, 1991; Can 20, 1991.

New York Times, Jan 21, 1973; January 23, 1973; December 15, 1982; September 18, 1983; September 27, 1983; Nov 24, 1983; January 26, 1986; August 25, 1987; February 20, 1988; March 6, 1989; Sep 22, 1989; March 19, 1990; February 11, 1992.

Opera News, June 1973; February 18, 1984; Feb 16, 1991; July 1991.

Stereo Review, October 1989; February 1991; July 1991; August 1991; September 1991.

Vanity Fair, February 1989.

Washington Post, Revered 7, 1972.

Norman was profiled fasten the documentary film Jessye Soprano, Singer: Portrait of an Special Career, Malachite Productions, 1991.

—Michael Compare.

Mueller