Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
A New Zealand soprano, best known for her opera performances.
On the island
Eight records
When I first came to this country, it was almost the first music I heard, and we were doing it to the movement classes at the London Opera Centre. And I was convinced I was Isadora Duncan when I was doing it, and this music sort of makes you feel like that.
Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, K. 313Favourite
Richard Adeney, English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard
Mozart has played a major part in my life, and I would love to hear the flute concerto number one.
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
I can't have Mozart without Strauss or Strauss without Mozart. It's my great love and I've discovered Strauss for myself and Mozart's helped me.
Villanelle (from Les nuits d'été)
Someone I've admired always through my singing life is Janet Baker, and I'd love to hear her sing the Berlios Viernel from Les Nuidite.
I like strange things and I like rather primitive sounds, and I think this next recording is that in that it's and brings up my little bit of Catholic training.
The Ring of the Nibelungs (An Analysis)
This is a little bit naughty, I'm sure, but I li happen to like Anna Russell. I went to see her live.
The Chieftain's recording of the Women of Ireland, which once again has got a very primitive sound. I love this this rather natural primitive sound.
Bob Thiele and George David Weiss
May I dedicate this to all the old people in the world who possibly have finished their work and in retirement are bored with life. to not give up hope, because I have a most wonderful father. He's seventy five years old. He works a twelve hour day for me... and here's this darling Louis Armstrong, who never gave up.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:52What does [your Maori name, Te Kanawa] mean?
Well, some people say Takanawa was a chief. And that he was very proud, very handsome. Of course, you know, no one's ever ugly in these myths. And um the the tribesman didn't like him very much, so he was ousted from the tribe and sort of started his own small tribe. And uh that's where I supposedly come from.
Presenter asks
3:53Did you hear a lot of music as a child?
Yes, a normal uh entertainment was for everyone to sit round the piano, as in Victorian times. ... But in my childhood it was sitting around the piano or sitting on on the beach with a bonfire, singing with a guitar, piano, whatever, you know, you could get some sort of instrument, just singing and making your own entertainment. So I was surrounded By music of all sorts.
Presenter asks
8:25When and who discovered that you weren't really a mezzo [but a soprano]?
Well, we had a master class with um Richard Bonning and he came with Joan Sutherland and he said, You know, my dear, you're not a mezzo, you're a soprano, which is a very simple way. I suppose of of getting me out of the the fix that I was already in where I didn't know where I was going. And I suddenly had a new Sort of goal, I thought, well, if I'm going to be a soprano, I might as well work at it.
The keepsakes
The book
Leo Tolstoy
if I had it in French, I could learn French and I could put it back into English and all that sort of thing, I wouldn't be wasting my time.
The luxury
I'm a compulsive entertainer and I love to cook. And I have a funny thing I buy knives, so I must have a frustration in me to stab something. But every first night I buy a black handled knife, and I've got quite a collection, so please may I take all my knives.
Presenter asks
17:34Your debut at the Metropolitan New York, that was rather dramatic, wasn't it?
That was a yes, another goody. I don't seem to sort of go into things very lightly. ... they rang up from the Met at eleven o'clock, and it was a two o'clock start. ... And they rang back within about ten minutes and uh they said you're on.
Presenter asks
25:25How important are [concerts and recitals] in your career?
I find they're very important for the pure vocal technique. One tends to in opera forget about technique quite often in order for effect. ... And with a concert it is just pure singing. My singing teacher says that the Mozart is uh the lubrication for your voice, and I believe it, as concerts are The stimulation for your brain and the things that you need to convince yourself that you haven't lacked or. Slackened off in any area, you can still hold, say, an audience and sell a song.
“I have a serious side to me and a a very non serious side, so I thought If I'm going to be cast away on this island, I better get down to the nitty gritty, because I can always be foolish, you know, while I'm there, but I better take a little bit of the serious things with me.”
“I happen to need. desperately a singy teacher. ... you need a spare pair of ears and she also has an insight into acting and all sorts of marvellous things that you don't know come into singing because she treats it like a like an athlete.”
“I think I actually impressed myself by being able to sing through it. It was, to me, the most enormous part to sing. I've since discovered it's not quite as enormous as I thought.”