Congratulations Dame Felicity Palmer

[Chris Newman]

Hearty congratulations to mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer on being made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire who continues to give much pleasure on the concert platform and opera stage. This year alone, I have seen her in Katya Kabanova and Peter Grimes where she demonstrated her skills as a fine singer and brilliant actor. It is nice to have two Dame Felicities. Perhaps someone should arrange for them to sing together.

Congratulations too for composers Colin Matthews (OBE) and Howard Goodall (CBE).

[mercia]

There was me thinking she already was a Dame!

[Flosshilde]

There was me thinking she already was a Dame!

Isn't Felicity Lott a Dame? So now we have two musical Dame Felicities (or should that be Dames Felicity, or Dame Felicitys?)!

[mercia]

Isn't Felicity Lott a Dame?

Oh yes - that's who I was thinking of

[Mary Chambers]

Felicitations, perhaps?

[mercia]

Dames Felicity

Nice one <smiley>

I liked Sheila Hancock's reaction to her award, to paraphrase "You reach a certain age and they [the award-givers] think you are about to pop-off and had better hurry-up and thank you"

[Parry1912]

"You reach a certain age and they [the award-givers] think you are about to pop-off and had better hurry-up and thank you"

Tell that to Bruce Forsyth!

[mercia]

Tell that to Bruce Forsyth!

He's got years left in him, hasn't he?

[BBMmk2]

Congratulations indeed to Dame Felicity Palmer

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Dame FP has never been high up in my list of favourite mezzos, but for the work she has done the award may well be justified.

[lordmhoram]

Hearty congratulations to mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer on being made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Hear hear! (She sang the solo soprano part in the second movement of Brian's "Das Siegeslied" at the Ally Pally in 1974 - incredibly difficult part, and pitted against probably the biggest orchestra ever assembled - and did it brilliantly.)

[Chris Newman]

Yes, lordmhoram,

Felicity Palmer began her career as a soprano. I found her rather hard and shrill: she certainly had plenty of volume rather like Anja Silja. When she dropped a top notes and became a mezzo-soprano she acquired and added wonderful warmth and colouration to her very expressive acting skills. She and Della Jones have filled the gap left in Britain by Janet Baker, Yvonne Minton and Helen Watts.

[bluestateprommer]

Dame FP just completed a run yesterday of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC, as Geneviève. I heard the radio broadcast yesterday. NYT review link is below, with relevant quote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/arts/music/20pelleas.html

"The mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer gave a wrenching performance as Geneviève, the mother of Golaud and Pelléas who is helpless to prevent their fratricidal passions."

[Barbirollians]

A scandal that it is never Dame Ida Haendel ! Perhaps we should start a petition on the Downing Street website !!!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Yes, lordmhoram,

Felicity Palmer began her career as a soprano. I found her rather hard and shrill: she certainly had plenty of volume rather like Anja Silja. When she dropped a top notes and became a mezzo-soprano she acquired and added wonderful warmth and colouration to her very expressive acting skills. She and Della Jones have filled the gap left in Britain by Janet Baker, Yvonne Minton and Helen Watts.

I first heard her singing with Opera North and I was far from impressed. In that respect, nothing has changed. But with the human voice, personal taste is much more variable than with instrumentalists, and I know there are many who appreciate Dame FP's voice consuderably more than I do.

Erm I thought Yvonne Minton was Australian? (Now YM is what you call a singer! :))