Dame Gwyneth Jones: Wagner - Der Fliegende Holländer Sentas Ballade

Dame Gwyneth Jones DBE born 7 November 1936 Pontnewynydd Wales UK is a Welsh soprano. Before becoming a professional singer Dame Gwyneth worked as a secretary at the Pontypool foundry. She studied music at the Royal College of Music London the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena as well as the International Opera Studio in Zürich. After making her professional debut in 1962 as a mezzo-soprano in Glucks opera Orfeo ed Euridice she was engaged by the Zurich Opera House. She soon discovered that her easy top range could enable her to sing soprano roles and she switched to the soprano repertoire from around 1964 her first major soprano role being Amelia in Verdis Un ballo in maschera. Dame Gwyneths large-scaled powerful dramatic soprano voice unusually robust vocal stamina stage presence and acting abilities were widely admired although she also faced criticism for the wobble that her voice developed in the 1970s and which afflicted some of her performances. Nonetheless she could still be remarkably secure and tonally rock steady beyond the age of 60. One of her most noted achievements was her interpretation of Brünnhilde in the Bayreuth centennial production of Der Ring des Nibelungen under Pierre Boulez and directed by Patrice Chéreau a performance preserved on both video and audio discs. The recording won a Grammy in 1983. In 2003 Dame Gwyneth made her debut as director and costume designer in a stage production of Der fliegende Holländer in Weimar Germany. She has also given master-classes for young singers and acted as an adjudicator in international vocal competitions including the 2009 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Despite her advancing years and the extraordinary demands of her chosen repertoire she remains an active performer on the stage taking on various soprano mezzo-soprano and even contralto roles with vocal authority and dramatic conviction. In June 2007 she created the role of the Queen of Hearts in the world premiere of Unsuk Chins new opera Alice in Wonderland at the Bavarian State Opera. In February 2008 she sang the part of Herodias in Stephen Langridges production of Richard Strauss Salome at Malmö Opera in Sweden. She repeated this role in August 2010 alongside the Salome of Deborah Voigt in a concert performance at the Verbier Festival in Verbier Switzerland and performed the part on stage at the Vienna State Opera in May 2012. She is also the recipient of numerous musicalcultural awards and honours from many different countries and organisations including the Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse of the Federal Republic of Germany the Golden Medal of Honour in Vienna the Austrian Cross of Honour First Class the Shakespeare Prize and the Puccini Award. She is a Kammersängerin at both the Vienna State Opera and the Bavarian State Opera and she has been made a Commandeur de LOrdre des Arts et des Lettres in France. She has also been conferred honorary doctorates by the University of Wales and the University of Glamorgan. She is currently the President of the Wagner Society of Great Britain... Lyrics English Translation Yohohoway! Yoho! Yoho! Did you ever encounter that ship in the sea with Blood-Red sails and a black mast? On her high Bridge the pale man the ships master watches Without rest! Hoy! How the wind howls! Yohoway! Hoy! How it whistles in the rigging! Yohoway! Hoy! Like an arrow he flies on without aim Without rest without peace! Yet redemption can still be found for that pale Man one day should he ever find a woman who Will remain faithful to him until death on this Earth! Ah! When will you find her pale seaman? Pray to heaven that soon a woman will keep faith With him! In a violent storm in raging winds he once sought To round a cape He cursed and swore in a mad fit Saying In all eternity Ill not give up! Hoy! And Satan heard it! Yohoway! Hoy! Took him at his word! Yohoway! Hoy! Now damned he roams throughout the seas Without rest and without peace! Yet so that the poor man should still be able to Find redemption on this earth the angel of God Showed him the path to salvation! Ah! If only you Could find it pale seaman! Every seven years he sets anchor and goes on shore To woo a woman. He has wooed every seven years But has not ever found a faithful woman. Hoy! Hoist the anchor! Yohoway! Hoy! Raise the sails Yohoway! Hoy! False love false faithfulness! Off to sea Without rest without peace! A link to this wonderful artists personal Website: Please enjoy! I send my kind and warm regards,

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