Janet Baker - An Excellent Grauniad Interview

[Guest]

Perhaps because I don’t know much about her, I found this very candid interview extremely interesting (from Guardian 14/7/12):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jul/13/janet-baker-life-in-writing?newsfeed=true

It includes four beautiful video clips.

Some notable quotes:
“To me it was torture…that 10 yards from the wings to the centre of the stage is a terrifying journey”:
“I was wary of those people for whom the performer came before the music…”.
“If you overstepped the mark with Ben [Britten] you were finished with him…”.
“He [Britten] did like to come first. He thought if he wanted you at Aldeburgh then you should down tools anywhere else…”
“Fischer Dieskau was a great colleague…but I never forgot I was singing with DFD – he was a very great man…”

[Petrushka]

Thanks for drawing our attention to this wonderful article.

I only saw JB live once only, at a 1983 Prom in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with Sir John Pritchard and the BBC SO. I was lucky enough to meet her after the comcert as well. That must have been one of her final performances of the Mahler and her dressing room was packed with well-wishers.

[Richard Tarleton]

What a great article! I saw her several times - first near the start of her career, in a recital with Gerald Moore shortly before he retired. Most of all I cherish memories of her in opera - Coronation of Poppaea (Leppard) and Mary Stuart (Mackerras) at ENO, Trojans with Jon Vickers (cond Davis, although Josephine Veasey was Dido in the recording, Veasey was singing Cassandra that night). Also, Chausson Poeme (with Andrew Davis if memory serves) and Song of the Earth with Solti - we should have had Rene Kollo but he was indisposed and we got a rather overparted Robert Tear instead.....

One of the most instantly recognisable voices as with Ferrier, Sutherland, Callas and a few others, you only have to hear her sing a note or two.

[Gordon]

If you have enjoyed that Grauniad article listen to this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014612j

[Frances_iom]

..Most of all I cherish memories of her in opera - Coronation of Poppaea (Leppard) and Mary Stuart (Mackerras) at ENO...

agree I was lucky (+ guess old enough!) to have heard her at ENO in her final years on the stage - as others have said her voice was unmistakeable - probably my favourite recording is Dream of Gerontius with Sir John Barbirolli (another name who I heard reasonably often as he led the local band!)

[Serial_Apologist]

I was somehow of the impression she had passed away long ago!

[Stephen Smith]

I have a recollection I heard her in Gerontius at RFH. I went to hear her, and was not disappointed, she was a wonderful artist (also saw the Julius Caesar). What surprsied me was the excellent interpretation of Gerontius by Evgeny Svetlanov.
I've noticed his name comes up in this forum quite often as an interpreter to seek out (also in the recent Tchaikovsky 2nd Symph BaL) and I've got some of his recordings as a result.

[salymap]

Many thanks Osborn for drawing our attention to the article on Janet Baker.