Death of a much-loved British mezzo
NewsWe have heard from her granddaughter Clare Anderson that the life of Josephine Veasey, a dominant British singer in the post-War era, has come to a quiet end.
Josephine, who died at a home in Whitchurch, was 91.
Raised in south London, she joined the Covent Garden chorus in 1949. Emerging as a notable Carmen, she was cast by Solti when he became music director in major Wagner roles. She recorded Fricka in a Salzburg Ring cycle with Karajan (whom she disliked) and was in global demand as Kundry in Parsifal. Colin Davis, Solti’s successor, drew her into Berlioz.
She closed her career at Covent Garden in 1982 and went on to become a generous teacher, known to her sutdents as ‘Josey’. They included Sally Burgess, Felicity Palmer and Alison Pearce.
Josey was one of the last of Britain’s post-War opera boomers. She never lost her Peckham accent.
May she rest in peace.
Difficult to imagine what a pre-war “Peckham accent” might have sounded like. Presumably very different from the multicultural mishmash that dominates there now.
Obviously you don’t originate from London! Ha, ha ha!
I’ve spent a lot of time in Peckham and I’ve never discerned an accent that is particularly to the area. If there once was such a thing I’d love to know what it sounded like.
…just as the pre-war Peckham accent arose from the “multicultural mishmash” that working class London has always been.
As well as a wonderful singer, who could sing just about anything she chose, she was a splendid person and a fine teacher. When I was preparing my first performances as Oberon / A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Magdeburg, I went to see her as she had been the first singer of this role at the ROH.
Yes, she taught us all with that in mind – sort your voice out, and darling, learn and apply the appropriate style and sing mostly what you want – as she did from Purcell to Wagner and beyond, and along with Heather Harper. Josey taught me for close on twenty years, and a fine singer and a very practical and generous singing teacher.
Recently enjoyed her Britten Oberon.
RIP
She recorded the role of Queen Dido in both the Berlioz LES TROYENS and the Purcell DIDO & AENEAS.
RIP. First Kundry I ever saw. Alas, at that time, I did not know the opera well enough to form a properly informed opinion, but I was impressed.
At a time when she had Fricka, Kundry, Amneris and Cassandra under her belt, I was surprised (and delighted) to hear her as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Covent Garden in 1978. An amazingly versatile singer.