Jon Vickers 1926-2015 RIP

[Karafan]

Very sad news just announced of the death of great Canadian tenor, Jon Vickers, at the age of 88.

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/canadian-born-tenor-jon-vickers-dies

His legacy of wonderful performances will keep his memory alive for me and I am sure many others.

Karafan

(PS Jeannie Williams' "Jon Vickers - A Hero's Life" is well worth seeking out).



And a picture of Vickers cradling Karajan, as the latter emphasises a dramatic point in Wagner, always makes me smile:

[Roehre]

For me THE Florestan. The Klemperer-recording with Gott, Welch dunkel hier really gives goose flesh

RIP Jon vickers

[verismissimo]

For me THE Florestan. The Klemperer-recording with Gott, Welch dunkel hier really gives goose flesh

RIP Jon vickers

And for me THE Peter Grimes and THE Siegmund.

The greatest dramatic tenor of the second half of the twentieth century.

[Richard Tarleton]

We were talking about him only the other day, on the Pappano thread. I was lucky enough to see him twice, in 1972, in Les Troyens and Otello, both under Colin Davis. The Troyens performance was with Janet Baker, but the recording was with Josephine Veasey (who sang Cassandre in the performance I went to) - their Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie is just, well, infinite ecstasy.

[slarty]

Tristan, Parsifal, Siegmund, Canio (the most frightening performance of the role I ever saw) Grimes, Florestan (especially with Reggie at CG in 1976)
Otello, Gustavo, Radames, in fact everything he sang.
A blessed release from the dreadful Alzheimer's that gripped him during the last decade.
Rest in Peace Jon.

[Beef Oven!]

His Tristan & Grimes wil live on for ever. RIP

[DracoM]

For me, the most exciting tenor, most diverse in roles, never shirking the psychologically complex or epic. Power, emotional stamina, head and shoulders above most.

[Belgrove]

I was fortunate to see him twice at Covent Garden. The first was a performance of Peter Grimes that was being filmed. They had to do a retake of part of the scene in Grimes' hut. Vickers was furious at having to repeat the scene and the boy looked genuinely terrified by the seemingly uncontrolled intensity that Vickers generated. At the conclusion of the scene, Vickers stormed off, leaving the poor boy marooned on the stage.

The second was Tristan, never bettered.

Having dug out the programme, it contains an advert for Das Lied von der Erde with Vickers and Jessye Norman, conducted by Colin Davis with the LSO. This must have been made about the time of their glorious performance at the RAH which I attended. Does anyone know this recording?

It's a privilege to have witnessed such a great artist.

[Petrushka]

I only saw Vickers once, as Tristan in 1982 at Covent Garden with Sir Colin Davis. The Das Lied recording is included In the Colin Davis The Philips Years box and also, I think, as a Presto CD. Mahler was never really Sir Colin's cup of tea (glorious performances of the 8th aside) and reviews of the Das Lied have been decidedly mixed despite Vickers bringing his usual consummate artistry to the tenor songs.

RIP Jon Vickers.

Edit: Presto CD recording of Das Lied: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Philips/4114742

[Darkbloom]

Tristan, Parsifal, Siegmund, Canio (the most frightening performance of the role I ever saw) Grimes, Florestan (especially with Reggie at CG in 1976)
Otello, Gustavo, Radames, in fact everything he sang.
A blessed release from the dreadful Alzheimer's that gripped him during the last decade.
Rest in Peace Jon.

I didn't know he had Alzheimers, how sad. As you say, a release under the circumstances. A truly great singer and powerful personality. Probably the greatest singer to have ever managed a branch of Woolworths.

I wish I had seen him live, and envy those who were lucky enough to do so. One of the few singers you can confidently describe as awesome. An unforgettable sound; not beautiful but strikingly individual. In so many roles he produced performances that were close to definitive for me. Even if his Wagner had some odd German at times (I recall his 'Wintersturme' on the Karajan recording) you felt that the heroic roles he took were made truly heroic, and that his Siegmund, for example, was more than capable of handling himself, making his death by Hunding all the more upsetting.

The book that was mentioned is well worth a read. Some interesting anecdotes. Like the time he got into an argument with Colin Davis at CG and you could hear them yelling at each other some distance away in the building. Brave Colin, not sure I'd have picked too many arguments with a man who had shoulders like that.

[Zucchini]

Vickers' huge white hot voice shook me rigid every time. He was possessed by every role he undertook, conveying terrifying rage, unbearable anguish and triumphant heroism through acting of the method school. I wouldn't be surprised if it took him 15 mins or more to get back to himself after a performance.

I saw him in Aida, Ballo, Pagliacci, Otello, Parsifal, Tristan and Fidelio. In the last two he was magnificently partnered by Gwyneth Jones (her voice is badly treated by recordings), they both gave their all and their interactions were intensely moving. As slarty has said, his volcanic explosion in the play scene of Pagliacci was shockingly real and off the seismograph.

Jon Vickers made an indelible impression on my opera-going experiences and never disappointed. I didn't see his Grimes but have watched the film - an astonishing and very wonderful intepretation IMO.

(There was once a rather curious CD recording of JV performing Winterreise live. Curious because it would seem impossible for that mighty voice to sing chubert lieder. In fact, there is much to admire in his ability to project cold, loneliness and narrate happy recollections etc)

[martin_opera]

Everything he sang was touched by a feeling of having thought the music through - much more so than his contemporaries - and paying attention to his art rather than his bank balance. Even the relatively unsuccessful repertoire was interesting and worth listening to e.g. in the Beecham Messiah or the Carmen with Bumbry (still highly recommendable IMO). I also love him in the Barbirolli Verdi Requiem and often play his collection of Italian opera arias that he recorded with Serafin - the Andrea Chenier items in particular are of a high quality- the other here. Compare them to Del Monaco and you can see that even though he had the voice he also had the discretion and reserve to use it wisely. Brava Mr Vickers - you brought much pleasure to my opera listening.

[slarty]

One of the most moving of his performances was the Gerontius with Barbirolli in Rome 1957.
Although the sound quality is not of the finest, his "Take me away..." is truly shattering.
Two other great spine tingling moments I remember were, in act 2 of Parsifal just after Kundry's kiss,
his "Erlöser, rette mich.." was unbelievable and the opening of Act two Fidelio with his unforgettable declamation of "Gott! welch dunked hier" , both conducted by the way by Reggie Goodall at Covent Garden in 1971 and 1976.

[bluestateprommer]

The NYT has their obituary for Vickers at this link. Tommasini makes an interesting comment about the background to Vickers' view of Peter Grimes; I haven't read the bio of JV mentioned earlier, so I don't know if it's mentioned there as well. Unfortunately never saw JV live, as his career was before my concert-going time. It sounds as though he brought the idea of "Method acting" to opera, perhaps to excess, by all accounts. But I still can recall even hearing on the Philips recording how much his intensity in portraying Grimes came over even on record. Condolences to his family.

[Daniel]

When I think of Grimes I always hear Vickers' voice, as it was him that first bowled me over in that music. And whoever else I've heard since, it is his voice that stays. A horrid thing Alzheimer's, sometimes music can seem to circumvent certain brain disorders, I hope that this might have been the case with him.

Having dug out the programme, it contains an advert for Das Lied von der Erde with Vickers and Jessye Norman, conducted by Colin Davis with the LSO. This must have been made about the time of their glorious performance at the RAH which I attended. Does anyone know this recording?

I recently came across that recording and found it quite unusual. Your mention of it prompts me to give it a second hearing.

RIP