Met mezzo dies, 98
RIPThe American mezzo-soprano Mildred Miller, a Met stalwart for 23 years, has died at the age of 98.
After apppearing as a niece in the 1946 US premiere of Peter Grimes, she went to Europe, singing at Glyndebourne, Vienna and Munich, where she caught the attention of Met manager Rudolf Bing. She made her Met debut as Cherubino in a star-studded Marriage of Figaro in November 1951.
In 1967 she moved to Pittsburgh where her husband was appointed president of the university. In later years, she founded Pittsburgh Opera.
When I hear her name I immediately think of her Lied von der Erde with Walter. But yes, her Cherubino was excellent.
Me too!
She made a wonderful recording of the Brahms Alto Rhapsody and Mahler’s ‘Songs of a Wayfarer’, with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bruno Walter. I bought this as a young teenager in the 1960s. Once heard, never forgotten.
RIP.
While Mildred Miller’s most prestigious recordings were Brahms and Mahler with Bruno Walter, there were others that indicate her performance range. She sang Lola in a 1953 CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, Nicklausse in a mid-50’s HOFFMANN, and (on the Desto label) art songs by such American composers as Irving Fine, Vincent Persichetti and Ned Rorem. In my student days, I saw her onstage as Cherubino and Suzuki.
The Bruno Walter biography by Ryding and Pechefsky details the conductor’s selection of Mildred Miller for his only stereo version of DAS LIED VON DER ERDE. He is quoted as saying (after hearing audition recordings by nine singers), “This is the one I can work with, because she is an artist.”
I know of her because of her recordings with Bruno Walter in his “Indian Summer” period.
RIP. One of the greatest interpreters of Das Lied von der Erde.
In addition to those famous recordings with Bruno Walter, Mildred Miller also recorded standard and popular operatic arias on an LP with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. But here is the kicker — this was not an RCA Victor commercial recording but rather a special recording RCA Victor was hired to produce for the Boston MA-based John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, and policyholders of that mutual company received the LP as a gift from their company. Fortunately, a number of the arias have been made available on YouTube from reasonably clean LPs, but one does wonder what happened to the master tapes. It would probably take some negotiation with the record company, the BSO and the insurance company, now owned by ManuLife, to make it commercially available again.
For those interested a simple bit of searching on YouTube will find the Mildred Miller/Fiedler recordings.
Actually the orchestra was a pick-up group of New York players.
…a pioneering lady…
Mildred actually founded the Pittsburgh Festival Opera.
This group specializes in identifying talented young singers and providing them with performance experience in operas not frequently performed.
For several years, they have offered at least one Richard Strauss opera per year.
She was a phenomenal woman!!
Unfortunately, I was never a fan. My feelings were that HE was a male vocalist, but never came out as a gay male. So, cowardly as he was, he never had my respect.
Just my opinion. I am a Big Shot filmmaker and demand that my opinion gets read. Walter@walterfilm.com
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Slight correction. She was the founder of Pittsburgh Opera Theater, now Pittsburgh Festival Opera.
Right, John! I was about to make that correction, myself. She was still a remarkable presence in 2018 when I met her and had the opportunity to know her a bit. A keen mind, with a heart for good singing and young talent.