Dame Gwyneth Jones

Acclaimed Wagnerian soprano

Born:

1937

Place of Birth:

Pontnewynydd

Trivia:

Before becoming a professional singer, Dame Gwyneth worked as a secretary at the Pontypool foundry.

Biography:

A huge voice in a slim elegant frame, Dame Gwyneth lives near Zurich but often returns to perform in her native Wales.

Born to a musical family in Monmouthshire, Dame Gwyneth's vocal talents were recognised at school and Eisteddfodau. She won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music and later studied in Siena and Zurich.

In 1964 Dame Gwyneth achieved overnight fame when she stood in for Leontyne Price in a Royal Opera House production of Il Trovatore. Turning her talents to the work of Wagner, she came to dominate the Bayreuth Festival in the late 1960s and 1970s.

She has continued to perform across Europe and the USA, and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1986.

Robert Ocier in Vienna, Austria, has written the following appreciation...

More often than not, Wagner and Strauss operas are performed by singers who make it their primary goal to survive it to the end of these roles unscathed, often sacrificing drama for vocalizing that thrills, but does not touch.

I find that Gwyneth Jones offers not only that vocal thrill, but a most intelligent performance of the Olympian Wagner and Strauss roles that she excelled at during the 60's to the early 90's.

Her Brunnhilde, captured on video in the acclaimed Centennial Ring at Bayreuth, is the work of a great artist. The most amazing thing is, it is a huge voice encased in the body of a svelte, beautiful woman.

It is true that there are moments when Jones' voice isn't at its best behaviour, but no other Wagnerian soprano (and that includes singers like Nilsson, Varnay, Dernesch, Flagstad, and Traubel), were able to get into the character as much as Jones did, except maybe Martha Modl.

Saying that, her voice is much more beautiful and powerful than Modl's. From her entrance in Walkure hurling her hojotohos at Wotan, to the Todesverkundigung scene, to the magnificent love duet at the end of Siegfried's act 3, and to the Immolation Scene, each one of these jewels from that Ring leave us with a feeling that we are seeing the actual character and not just a hulky diva showing off her vocal prowess. In my opinion, she is the best Brunnhilde ... period.

The record companies who documented this great artist's career have also given us a taste of Jones' Senta, Venus, Elisabeth, Ortrud, Eva, Isolde, and Kundry. The best of these in my opinion, are her Kundry and Senta.

People say that Christa Ludwig gives the definitive Kundry on record. That is true if you are referring only to Kundry's soft side. If you want the complete Kundry as Wagner inteded to have the role acted, you must sample Jones' Kundry in her Parsifal with Boulez. It is demonic, malevolent, yet tender and resigned and tired when she needs to be. Jones is the definitive Kundry.

On the other hand, when portraying Senta's dementia, no other artist captures the essence of the character like Jones. Her control of dynamics, in addition to her dramatic skills and her beautiful voice, make the performance one to cherish.

Not falling far behind these two amazing portraits is Ortrud, and Jones' ability to bring about a sinister tone in her voice creates an atmosphere that no other villainess is able to achieve in record.

In a Bayreuth performance, Jones also doubles as both Venus and Elisabeth in Tannhauser, and what is most astounding is that she is able to create characters who are distinctly different from each other with one voice.

Her Isolde is captured in video with Rene Kollo as Tristan, and while her voice does not suggest the young princess character of Isolde, her performance is a complete, touching portrayal of the love stricken princess, culminating in a sublime Liebestod. Her Eva, recorded in Bayreuth, is not a definitive Eva, but it is nonetheless one of the most interesting performances ever recorded.

Later in her career, Jones began singing Turandot, Elektra, Salome, the Dyer's Wife in Frau Ohne Schatten, and other great Strauss roles (one of them being her elegant and beautiful Marschallin with Carlos Kleiber).

Her Turandot is the most wonderfully characterized portrayal of the role I have heard, and unlike most ice princesses, she exudes a certain sexuality that no other soprano gives to the character.

The same can be said of her Salome too, but if one were to judge Jones at the calibre of her performances, one must see her Elektra and her Dyer's Wife. A recording of her performance of Elektra with Leonie Rysanek as Klytamnestra showcases these two divas at their most demented vocal powers.

Since then, I have never looked back to other performances of Elektra. In that performance, Jones portrayed the title role's madness, sexual depravation, love for Agamemnnon, and a certain sexual attraction to Orestes. It is a desert island disc.

Of course, you would be poorer if you have not heard Gwyneth Jones as the Dyer's Wife in Die Frau Ohne Schatten. A recorded performance with Dohnanyi conducting at the Paris Opera during 1980 shows Jones giving a performance of a lifetime, conquering the difficult music of the Dyer's Wife with all the drama, sexual frustration, wit, shrewdness, and intelligence that the character needs.

I could go on and on about this magnificent artist, as she has moved me and opened me to these great roles more than any other singer of the Wagnerian and Straussian fach.

She is a commanding person onstage, yet offstage, she is one of the most generous artists who offer more than what one expects of people of that profession. Brava Gwyneth!

Moment of Glory:

Winning overnight fame in a production of Il Trovatore

Off the Record:

Some critics believe her voice lacks control in high passages

your comments

Laurent Spede from Liège, Belgium
My first real contact with Wagner, when I was 13, was through Boulez' Ring. She was so powerful, moving and intense that it stung me forever. I've never stopped to love Wagner since then, and - of course - had the opportunity to listen to almost all the available recordings. But...whatever I could listen to, even with Astrid Varnay or Birgit Nilsson...Mrs Jones never lost her No 1 ranking in my heart.

Jim Bray, Blaina
I first came across a very young Gwyneth Jones, when she sang the mezzo part in Messiah with Brynmawr Choral Society. She was then a beautiful redhead, wearing a black gown. My next encounter was at the WNO's production of "Don Pasquale" in the New Theatre, Cardiff. I was most surprised to hear her sing the soprano lead. I was still in school at the time of both these performances. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength!

Joseph, Germany
Between 1976 and 1983 I was a member of the Bayreuth Festival chorus. I had the luck to enjoy from very very small distance, face to face, on the stage her Brünnhilde, Elisabeth and Venus. Her Senta in 1982 was fantastic (she replaced Lisbeth Balslew, who was ill). She is a beautiful and very kind lady, a first class singer and actor.

Stuart Petersen, London
Gwyneth Jones is the best opera singer of both the 20 and 21st Century, a great artist and a fantastic voice!

Fabian Gastellier-Hathorn from Paris, France
The first time I saw Gwyneth Jones (first Ring by Boulez-Chéreau in Bayreuth), I just couldn't believe that such a powerful singer could be such a radiant actress. For me, it was the day after... Opera was not the same. I have seen her very often, giving everything to the music when she sings. Being elsewhere, and welcoming us in this nirvana of excellence. She has everything: the beauty, the voice and a real desire to work and work again that makes her a rare artist.

Robert Petersen from Durban, South Africa
My first experience with dame Gwyneth was a live recordng of Turandot from ROH in 1984. I've since gone on to collect many of her acclaimed recordings. A fine singer indeed

pianoroberto56
Simply one of the most evocative voices ever heard. I have always adored this voice. Not perfect, one may argue. But what does it matter when the character comes out in all its meaning and expression? Singer and, on stage, actress of historical stature. Brava!

Michael Anthony, Berkeley, California, USA
Having never seen Dame Gwyneth in performance, I can only base my grateful appreciation on audio/video recordings, through which channels she communicates radiant charisma, emotional immediacy, thrilling and provoking us with intelligence and daring commitment to the composer's colouring of the character's psyche. All with her timeless beauty and elegance.

Dominik Ruckert, Neunkirchen, Germany
I've seen Dame Gwyneth Jones in her later years at the Saarbruecken Opera House as Ariadne, Bruennhilde, Frau in "Erwartung". I was totally impressed by her. Since then I started to collect her recordings. I havn't got the FroSch from Paris (to Mr Farber) but one day I would wish to get it. It has to be the greatest FroSch. There are nice Live-recordings at www.operadepot.com - search for Gwyneth Jones. My best wishes to this fabulous singer!

Raj Conte, Berlin and London
I last saw Gywneth Jones's Bruennhilde at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. The time-tunnel and the searing white intensity of B's immolation - in both sound and acting - made that one of those grand Proustian moments in and out of time. There are many others more mellifluous, but for the great ferocious German heroines, there's no one like her. My warmest gratitude to one of the greatest!

Daniel Isengart, New York
Dame Gwyneth Jones, we miss you terribly in New York and I keep my hopes burning that you will return for a farewell engagement and sing Klytemnestra. Thank you for your generosity and passion as a performer, your musical artistry and a voice that pierces my heart and sends shivers down my spine. Be well!

Florence Fry. Tavistock Devon.
I first met Gwyneth when she was seventeen singing at Pontrhydyrun Baptist Church in 1954. My father was Philip Filer from Pontnewydd. I am now aged ninety five and live my daughter in Devon. I continue to follow Gwyneth's career and treasure the many photographs she has sent me over the years.

Tim Birkett, London
My first memory of Dame Gwyneth was of a figure in a white dress, throwing her body and her voice accross the stage in the Boulez Ring - as seen on TV. I was a teenager, growing up in suburbia. This was my first exposure to Wagner. It was one of the most exciting things I had ever seen or heard. Great performing is about taking risks, and it seems to me Dame Gwyneth has never short-changed her audience or given less than 100%. She's simply the best!

Steven Farber, London
Happy birthday Dame Gwyneth. There is now nobody singing the big roles with the astonishing combination of beauty of voice, commitment in acting, and the sheer power and volume that she possessed. One sat open-mouthed at moments like the end of Act 2 of Turandot, where the top Cs could be heard above the entire chorus and orchestra; at the climax of the Klytemnestra/Elekta scene; at the end of Act 2 of Fanciulla del West (thrilling); and hundreds of others. Is the 1980 Paris Frau Ohne Schatten available on DVD, does anyone know? I saw it on stage at the time and it was sensational. All available Gwyneth material should be released onto DVD - where is the Tannhauser, for example? She is a singer to whom the CDs alone do not do justice. A great, great artist.

Gwen O'Neill
I remember listening to Gwyneth Jones when she used to come to Blaina to meet up with her pianist May Parry (Griffiths) lived in the same street as I did - Mill Sreet, Blaina. The sound of her young voice was absolutely beautiful. She was destined for great things. That was many years ago when Gwyneth was little more than a teenager. The clarity of her voice and her personality took her to the top.

Peter Jones, Auckland, New Zealand
Gwyneth, we need you in New Zealand. When are you coming?

Mercedes New York City
Dame Gwyneth sang 3 performances as Kundry in "Parsifal" with Placido Domingo in 1995 at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Those were her last performances at the Met. For those of us who were lucky enough to be there, we will never forget how magnificent her portrayal was,especially the scene where she wipes the feet of Parsifal with her hair. Many people in the audience had tears in their eyes and she received a prolonged standing ovation at the opera's finale. Many of us knew this was the end of a "golden era" of Wagner singing and today we are sad that we can no longer hear the great Dame from Wales except via her wonderful recordings. But O, those last performances!!! Brava Brava dear Dame Gwyneth!!!

Charles Gregory-Johnson in San Francisco
Dame Gwyneth did for Wagner and Strauss in the 70s and 80s what Callas did for Bellini and Donizetti in the 40s and 50s....that is not only to infuse the heroines with vocal power and beauty, but to give them a hightened sense of drama and womanliness, thus engendering new interest in the music. Her very personal style made these heroines accessible and believable and more touching than the interpretations of any of her predecessors. The humanity that she brought to all of her roles made her performances unforgettable. Plus, she was one of the few superstars who actually took time to visit with her fans after performances. What a lovely, generous nature! She is my favorite singer of all time.

Davidson Garrett New York City
Dame Gwyneth was magnificent in Strauss' Elektra with Leonie Rysanek and Deberoh Voit. She burned the stage with intensity and her voice was like a laser beam to the highest balcony. The ovation she received with flowers and confetti was astounding. Bravo to the Dame of Dames.

Otto Krcal from Vienna
NOTHING compares to Gwyneth Jones. Her huge voice shines like a torch in the darkness.You do not only hear her high notes, you fell them all over.Her interpretations are so true, so touching. I find it extremely hard to accept any other singer in the roles that I have seen Gwyneth Jones in...

Kenneth Pound in San Francisco
Dame Gwyneth has one of the most womanly and lovely voices I have heard - this in spite of the fact that the tone sometimes spreads and can be false. Nevertheless, the natural beauty of the sound cannot be underestimated, nor the beauty of the woman herself, and her extremely special 'spirit' onstage and off.

She is a supremely generous a performer and has moved me more often and more deeply than any singer of her age. Some roles (Brunhilde, Salome, the Empress) seem simply not worth hearing now that she has departed them.

I am both fuller owing to my exposure to this great artist and bereft now that she has moved on from her great prima donna roles. I miss her presence on the stage and in recording terribly.

Andy, NYC
She is a goddess among men!

Peter Leitner in Nürnberg, Germany
I lived for 10 years in Berlin and enjoyed quite often Gwyneth at the Deutsche Opera singing Wagner and Strauss. Also Puccini - a very impressive Turandot. I love her voice as well as her presence on stage and would like to see her again.

more from this section

more from South East Wales