Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will celebrate her 75th birthday in New Zealand. In honour of the New Zealand soprano's extraordinary international career we're sharing a selection of her most magical singing moments.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Photo: supplied
O mio babbino caro
Although Kiri Te Kanawa has never sung in Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi, she has performed this beautiful aria in concerts the world over. O mio babbino caro has become one of her signature tunes. Her luscious recording of this aria with London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Sir John Pritchard was used in the soundtrack to the award-winning film A Room with a View, and has brought Puccini's music into homes across the globe.
Let the Bright Seraphim
The fairytale wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer was held at St Paul's Cathedral in London in 1981. Three choirs, three orchestras and a fanfare ensemble played the music for the service and Kiri Te Kanawa was invited to sing Let the Bright Seraphim from Handel's oratorio Samson. The televised broadcast of the royal wedding was viewed by an estimated global audience of 750 million people. Her radiant performance made her a household name across the world.
It Never Was You
Even before they met, Kiri Te Kanawa was a hero of the late conductor and composer André Previn. When he first suggested they worked together on a jazz project over a beer in the Imperial Hotel in Vienna, he thought she might walk out. She didn't, and the result of their conversation was Sidetracks a 1992 jazz vocal album accompanied by a jazz trio of André Previn, Mundell Lowe, and Ray Brown.
Here they are in the studio recording It Never Was You by Kurt Weill arranged by André Previn.
Una voce poco fa
In her early 20s Kiri Te Kanawa had a cameo in the New Zealand musical comedy film Don't Let it Get You Made by John O’Shea’s Pacific Films. Her appearance in this clip comes around two minutes in. She sings an Italian aria from Rossini's Barber of Seville to an adoring audience of young children in a marae.
Pokarekare Ana
Kiri Te Kanawa has championed this Māori love song all over the world, but her New Zealand performances of it are particularly special. Many Kiwis remember her spell-binding a cappella rendition in the record breaking Kiri's Homecoming concert in Auckland Domain. The performance was attended by an audience of 140 thousand people and raised over 100,000 for charity.
A decade later she sang it in Gisborne, her birthplace. Gisborne is first city in the world to see the sun of each new day, and this performance filmed at sunrise welcomed in the new millennium and kicked off the worldwide millennium celebrations. It was broadcast live to over 80 countries.
Trio from Der Rosenkavalier
Hab mir's gelobt is the famous trio and the emotional high point in Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier. The production by Oscar-winning film director John Schlesinger marked the 25th anniversary of Sir Georg Solti's spectacular debut at Covent Garden conducting this very opera. It was Kiri Te Kanawa's first London performance of the role of Marschallin and her golden sound and beautiful phrasing are well suited to Strauss' soaring vocal lines.
"I found that Mozart suited my voice - then I discovered Richard Strauss. When I sang Strauss' music my voice seemed to feel it had 'come home'."
(Tip: if you want to hear a gorgeous lesser-known Strauss piece, listen to her German Arias recording of the final scene from Daphne. Kiri Te Kanawa's voice, as Daphne transforming into a laurel tree by moonlight, is ecstatic and the effect with the orchestra is dizzyingly beautiful.)
World in Union
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa recorded the first version of World in Union, the theme song for the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Written in the spirit of international friendship, it went to No 4 in the UK Singles Chart. The melody "Thaxted", a hymn tune is the stately theme from the middle of Jupiter from Holst's The Planets, and was originally adapted for use in the patriotic hymn I Vow to Thee My Country.
Laudate Dominum
Her exquisite voice, excellent breath control and elegant sense of phrasing made Kiri Te Kanawa a wonderful singer of Mozart's music. Laudate Dominum from Mozart's Solemn Vespers has been recorded countless times, but this has to be one of the finest.
Desdemona
Kiri Te Kanawa made her debut at The Metropolitan Opera in New York singing Desdemona in Verdi's opera Otello. The soprano singing the role suddenly became ill and Kiri, who was her understudy, was called up to sing it with three hours notice.
To make it even more challenging, a snowstorm almost prevented her taxi from reaching the theatre. It also happened to be the one day a month when the show was broadcast live on the radio across America. Despite all the hurdles, the performance came together beautifully and was a triumph. She went on to sing this role at Covent Garden where Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa were the Otello and Desdemona of choice.
Launch of the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation
In 2004 a special gala was held in Auckland's Aotea Centre to launch the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was joined by Dame Malvina Major and tenor Simon O'Neill for a memorable evening of opera highlights. The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation assists young New Zealand singers and musicians with exceptional potential to develop international careers at the highest level.
Kiri Te Kanawa is extremely passionate about her work developing the next generation of singers and musicians. And she's very proud of the Foundation's recipients, including baritones Phillip Rhodes and Julien Van Mellaerts, soprano Madison Nonoa, mezzo soprano Bianca Andrew and tenors Darren Pene Pati and Jonathan Abernethy.
70th birthday celebration at Royal Opera House Covent Garden
When Kiri Te Kanawa made her Royal Opera House debut in London in 1967 she thought she'd reached heaven. Singing the role of Countess Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro brought her international acclaim and established her as one of the leading lyric sopranos of her generation.
When Kiri Te Kanawa turned 70 she hoped to celebrate at London's Royal Opera House and so a cameo appearance was arranged for her in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment. Kiri Te Kanawa has been one of the company's biggest stars and they honoured her with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.
Related Audio
Kiri Te Kanawa in conversation with Christine Argyle about her life and her international singing career, illustrated with a selection from her many recordings.
