Death of a Covent Garden star
RIPWe have been notified by mutual friends of the death of Joan Carlyle, one of the early home-grown singers of the Royal Opera House.
Joan, who had retired to Wales, was 90.
Nurtured by Rafael Kubelik and Rudolf Kempe, she sang opposite Maria Callas in Cherubini’s Medea, opposite Jon Vickers in Verdi’s Otello and in the title role of Richard Strauss’s Arabella, among many other versatile performance. She sang Jenifer in the first recording of Tippett’s opera, The Midsummer Marriage.
Her enthusiasm for the art was irrepressible and her friendships lifelong.
She also took the lead in Karajan’s celebrated Pagliacci
Amazing that NL overlooked that as you say celebrated 1965 recording in Milan! She was Karajan’s Nedda, opposite Bergonzi. But Karajan’s movie, made two years later, saw both replaced, with young Kabaivanska and Vickers jumping in. Better actors?
I saw Joan Carlyle sing and act a very good Oscar but Bergonzi, one of the best tenors I ever heard, couldn’t act for toffee.
Good to hear. I never saw her on stage. And you are right about Bergonzi.
Kabaivanska is all of 3 years younger than Carlyle, and Vickers was 2 years younger than Bergonzi.
Think the tenor (Bergonzi in this recording) generally might think they are the lead!
A beautiful voice , fine technique , musicality and commitment. Covent Garden was fortunate to secure the services of Joan Carlyle and I hope that the house will mark her passing in some way?
Joan Carlyle and also Josephine Veasey – the latter now 91 who was my main singing teacher for years – were both the backbone of the Garden during my young music student days and beyond. Yes, our home grown singers then wwrevwonderful and achieved so much on so little. The Tippett recprding of Joan Carlyle is amazing and great to have it – as was Heather Harper in that intricate and difficult score too.
The Tippett recording is indeed wonderful – Jenifer is a very difficult role and in the premiere and original recording even Joan Sutherland struggled with it.
The Tippett recording with her and Alberto Remedios and a splendid Raimund Herincx is indeed splendid. An extraordinary piece of British 20th century lyricism.
I agree. After hearing it on the radio, I bought the Colin Davis set, and later the piano-vocal score for THE MIDSUMMER MARRIAGE.