Kathleen Ferrier
A film by Diane Perelsztejn. Narrated by Charlotte Rampling
Cast
Kathleen Ferrier — Contralto
Program notes
A documentary directed for the 100th anniversary of great British contralto Kathleen Ferrier, a singer with an extraordinary career and a tragic destiny...
Born in 1912, Kathleen Ferrier discovers the potential of her voice relatively late, while she is aged 31. An exceptional voice of contralto – the rarest tessitura for a woman. She gains immediate success, as she is supported by some of the greatest artists of her time, such as Herbert von Karajan, John Barbirolli and Bruno Walter. Unfortunately, the young diva quickly developed a malignant tumour, that put a premature end to her unique career. In 1953, at the age of 41, she dies from bone cancer.
This programme gives us the opportunity to re-discover the golden girl, a beloved of the audience. Thanks to amateur films in which we can see Kathleen chat and laugh with her friends, and interviews of close relatives or artists of our time (such as Nathalie Stutzmann), Diane Perelsztejn pays tribute to the unforgettable Euridice, of which it is said that she dragged Herbert von Karajan himself to tears after her performance in Bach's Mass in B at La Scala...
Photo: © Angus McBean, 1947