Jon Vickers: Wagner - Die Walküre, ‘Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater’

Описание: Jonathan Stewart Vickers, CC (October 29, 1926 – July 10, 2015), known professionally as Jon Vickers, was a Canadianheldentenor. Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, he was the sixth in a family of eight children. In 1950, he was awarded a scholarship to study opera at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In 1957 Vickers joined London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden company. In 1960 he joined the Metropolitan Opera. He became world famous for a wide range of German, French and Italian roles. Vickers' huge, powerful voice and solid technique met the demands of many French, German and Italian roles. He was also highly regarded for his powerful stage presence and thoughtful characterizations. In 1968 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Vickers received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, in 1998. He debuted at the Bayreuth Festival in 1958 as Siegmund in Die Walküre and sang Parsifal there in 1964.[3] Later negotiations with Wieland Wagner concerning appearances as Siegfried in Götterdämmerung ceased on Wieland's death in 1966. His debut role at the Metropolitan Opera in 1960 was Canio in Pagliacci.[6] He appeared at the Met for 22 seasons in 280 performances of 17 roles, including Florestan in Fidelio, Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre, Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen, Radamès in Aida, Erik in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, Herman in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, Samson in both Handel's opera and Saint-Saëns' Samson et Dalila, the title role of Verdi's Otello, Don Alvaro in Verdi's La forza del destino, Peter Grimes, Tristan und Isolde, Laca in Janáček's Jenůfa, Vasek in Smetana's The Bartered Bride, and the title role in Wagner's Parsifal, giving his farewell in 1987... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Vic...


Lyrics & English Translation


My father promised me a sword:
I would find it in deepest distress.
Unarmed I stumbled
into an enemy's house;
as security for his vengeance
I stay here.
I saw a woman
lovely and dignified;
enchanting fear
eats up my heart.
She draws me to her in loging,
she hurts me with sweet magic,
yet she is held captive by the man
who mocks my defencelessness.
Volsa, Volsa,
where is your sword?
The stout sword
that I shall wield in adversity:
will it burst from my breast
where my raging heart hides it?

What is that brightly gleaming
in the flickering light?
What is the light bursting
from the ash tree's trunk?
My eyes are blinded
by the flashing light.
The flare laughs down gaily.
How brightly the beams
scorch my heart.
Is it the gaze
of that radiant woman
that she left there
clinging behind her
when she went out of the room?

Night and darkness
closed my eyes;
then the blaze of her look
fell on me:
I knew warmth and daylight.
Like a blessing on me
shone the sunlight;
my head was ringed
by its wonderful radiance
till it sank behind the hills.
Once more as it departed
at evening its light fell on me.
Even the old ashtree's trunk
shone in a golden glow.
Then the blossom faded,
the light went out.
Night and darkness
close my eyes:
Deep in the recesses of my heart
an invisible fire burns on.


A link to this wonderful artists personal website: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jon-vi...


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