Sylvia Fisher

Sylvia Fisher (18 April 1910 – 25 August 1996) [cite web
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accessdate=2008-04-21] was an Australian operatic soprano whose stage career was made in England, who was especially distinguished in German opera, and who created the role of Cressida in Sir William Walton's opera.

Early career in Australia

Born in Melbourne, Fischer studied the piano from the age of nine, and afterwards entered the Albert Street Conservatorium for singing and voice production and obtained the full diploma. When this was completed she continued her singing studies with Adolf Spivakovsky, and worked with him for many years. She made her debut as a student in Jean-Baptiste Lully's "Cadmus et Hermione" at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, on 5 March 1932, at the Lully tercentenary festival. This was her only stage appearance in opera in Australia, but she rapidly became well-known there as a concert artist and broadcaster. Her concert and broadcast repertoire included many operatic arias, and she sang in many broadcasts of complete operas, notably as Aida, as Donna Anna and as Ortrud. She also established herself as a fine lieder and oratorio singer in Australia.

To England, 1947

It was as an established singer, therefore, that she went to England in 1947, and was first heard there in lieder recitals in BBC broadcasts. She joined the Covent Garden resident company in 1948 and rapidly gained approval. Her debut there was as Leonora, after which she appeared in several smaller parts such as First Norn and First Lady. She soon became the company's leading dramatic soprano. In 1949 she made a further powerful impression with her Countess and her Elsa, and also made her first and highly successful appearance in a role thereafter much identified with her, as the Marschallin.

Soon afterwards, she undertook further Wagnerian roles, in which she was to become especially famous. Her Sieglinde, often performed opposite Kirsten Flagstad's Brünnhilde, won its own individual triumph, and resulted in an invitation to appear as a guest artist in the Rome Opera International season, where she made her debut as Sieglinde in March 1952 under Erich Kleiber, and sang the role several times during the season. In London with equal success she sang the roles of Senta and Gutrune, and on 9 December 1952 was Isolde in the great Covent Garden revival of "Tristan und Isolde."

Concert work

She also appeared as soloist with the leading choral societies and orchestras, and at music festivals, under the batons of Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir John Barbirolli and Sir Malcolm Sargent. By 1955 she had made notable appearances in Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" and "Choral Symphony", Verdi's "Requiem", the Delius "Mass of Life", Rossini's "Stabat Mater", Arnold Schönberg's "Gurrelieder" (Tove), and the concert performance of Paul Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler".

Premières

On 3 December 1954 at Covent Garden she created the role of Cressida in the world premiere of William Walton's "Troilus and Cressida". She made guest appearances in Chicago in 1959, and from 1963 was with the English Opera Group.

In 1971, the soprano created the role of the formidable Miss Wingrave in Benjamin Britten's "Owen Wingrave", opposite Benjamin Luxon, Dame Janet Baker, Dame Heather Harper and Sir Peter Pears. That performance is available on Compact Discs.

References

Sources

*D. Brook, "Singers of Today" (Revised Edition - Rockliff, London 1958), 79-84.
*G. Davidson, "Opera Biographies" (Werner Laurie, London 1955).
*H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, "Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera" (OUP, London 1974 printing).