Jennifer Vyvyan Menu
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  • A Career
    • A Career – Introduction
    • Timeline
    • Biography
    • Performance list
  • A Repertoire
    • A Repertoire – Introduction
    • Baroque
    • Classical/Romantic
    • Benjamin Britten
    • Other Modern
      • Modern – Introduction
      • Malcolm Williamson
      • Arthur Bliss
      • Francis Poulenc
      • Roberto Gerhard
      • Manolis Kalomiris
      • Brian Easdale
      • Guy Halahan
      • Humphrey Searle
      • Peter Racine Fricker
      • Gordon Crosse
  • A Woman
    • The Vyvyans
    • Character
    • Voice
    • Appreciation
    • Ivan Clayton
  • A World
    • A World – Introduction
    • Companies
    • Singers
    • Cold War Cultural Diplomacy
    • Finance
  • A Legacy
    • Recordings
      • Recordings – Introduction
      • Radio
      • TV & Film
      • Discs
      • Discography
    • Scholarships
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A Career

Timeline

A selective summary of Vyvyan’s performing life

1925

Born Broadstairs, Kent, 13 March

1941

Enters Royal Academy of Music, piano then voice.

1945

Singing in Lincolns Inn Chapel. Hears Peter Grimes.

1946

1st solo professional engagements.

1947

Joins Glyndebourne Chorus (as mezzo, moving up to 2nd soprano)

1948

Joins English Opera Group: Beggar’s Opera (Jenny Diver) & Albert Herring (Nancy).

Tours Cambridge, Holland, Belgium, Cheltenham, Sadlers Wells, Birmingham

1949

EOG: Rape of Lucretia (Female Chorus).

Tours Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Copenhagen, Oslo

1950

1st Prom: Dyson Wife of Bath aria.

Broadcast: Milhaud Le Pauvre Matelot.

TV opera: Puccini Il Tabarro.

1951

Geneva International Concours, joint 1st Prize.

EOG premiere: Easdale The Sleeping Children, Cheltenham.

Broadcast: Britten The Rescue

1952

Sadlers Wells: Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) & Seraglio (Konstanze)

1953

Sadlers Wells: Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) & Seraglio (Konstanze)

1954

Fenice, Venice: Turn of the Screw (Governess) – world premiere.

Later, Sadlers Wells

1955

Records Screw.

Festival Hall: Bliss The Olympians (Madeleine, in concert).

Records Semele.

Records Little Sweep (Rowan).

Screw tours Munich, Florence, Holland, London, Cambridge.

Sadlers Wells: Cosi (Fiordiligi)

1956

Tours Holland.

Tours Soviet Union: 3-week delegation under Arthur Bliss.

Screw tours Paris, London.

RFH: Lohengrin, Act III (in concert)

1957

Samson, Concertgebouw. Entfuhrung, Germany.

Screw tours Canada, Berlin.

Broadcast: Bizet Djamileh

1958

South Africa, Rhodesia concert tour.

Aldeburgh: Poulenc Mamelles de Tiresias – UK premiere.

UN Day broadcast.

Geneva: Beethoven 9th/Ansermet.

Covent Garden: Handel Samson

1959

Broadcast: Handel Lucretia.

Copenhagen: Handel L’Allegro.

TV broadcast: Halahan Spur of the Moment.

Recording: Messiah/Beecham.

Ghent: Judas Maccabeus. Berlin: Messiah with Berlin Philharmonic.

Antwerp: Messiah.

TV broadcast: Screw.

1960

TV broadcast Utrecht: Messiah.

Aldeburgh: Midsummer Night’s Dream – world premiere & tour to Holland.

Sadlers Wells: Handel Radamisto – 1st staging in modern times.

Cambridge: Britten Cantata Academica – UK premiere

1961

Recording: Cantata Academica.

Concertgebouw: Mahler 4.

Sadlers Wells: Handel Rinaldo, touring to Berlin, Halle, Leipzig.

Aldeburgh: Screw. Hereford: Fricker Vision of Judgement. Festival Hall: Beethoven 9/Krips.

1962

Leverkusen: Matthew Passion.

Vienna: Saul.

Coventry: Bliss The Beatitudes – world premiere.

Aldeburgh & Sadlers Wells: Albert Herring (Miss Wordsworth).

Sadlers Wells: Radamisto.

Screw tours Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Sadlers Wells.

1963

Newcastle & RFH: Hoffnung concerts.

Birmingham: War Requiem.

New York: Spring Symphony under Bernstein.

Bethlehem USA: B Minor Mass. Cardiff & Bergen: Les Illuminations.

Brussels & Ghent: Spring Symphony.

Festival Hall: Gloriana – Britten’s 50th birthday concert

1964

Berlin: Jephtha, with Berlin Philharmonic & Kubelik.

Edinburgh: Don Giovanni. Aldeburgh: Orfeo.

Oxford: Athalia.

1965

Manchester: Child of Our Time.

Antwerp: War Requiem.

Cologne: Matthew Passion/Gunter Wand.

Festival Hall: War Requiem.

Sadlers Wells: Rinaldo.

1966

Goteborg: Les Illuminations.

US/Canada tour.

Sadlers Wells: Gloriana.
Sadlers Wells: Williamson Violins of Saint-Jacques – world premiere

1967

Copenhagen: Jephtha.

QEH: Semele. Leeds: Crosse Changes.

Coventry: War Requiem.

Aldeburgh: Fairy Queen – first performance, Britten’s concert realisation.

Bruges: Judas Maccabeus.

Bergen: Our Hunting Fathers.

Holland tour: Les Illuminations.

Glasgow & Sadlers Wells: Violins of St Jacques.

1968

New York: St John Passion.

Hungary & Czechoslovakia: Les Illuminations/Giulini.

Dynevor Castle, Wales: Williamson The Growing Castle – world premiere.

Manchester & London Coliseum: Violins of St-Jacques.

1969

Sadlers Wells: Growing Castle.

Rotterdam: Strauss Four Last Songs.

Coliseum: Gloriana.

Fairy Queen tours Amsterdam, Aldeburgh, Harrogate, Brussels, Lucerne.

Guildford: Williamson English Eccentrics – world premiere.

Sadlers Wells: Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Coliseum: Williamson Lucky Peter’s Journey – world premiere

1970

Coliseum: Violins of Saint-Jacques.

Albert Herring (Lady Billows) tours Chester, Guildford, Nottingham, Sheffield, Exeter, Canterbury.

Midsummer Night’s Dream tours Brussels, Ghent, Aldeburgh.

QEH: Fairy Queen.

1971

Amsterdam: Fairy Queen.

TV broadcast & world premiere: Owen Wingrave.

Birmingham: Spring Symphony.

San Francisco, Aldeburgh, Sadlers Wells: Midsummer Night’s Dream

1972

Tours Canada & US.

Coliseum: Gloriana.

Aldeburgh: Midsummer Night’s Dream & Schumann: Scenes from Faust.

Belgrade: War Requiem.

Broadcast: Athalia.

1973

Broadcast: Schubert Lazarus.

Tours Norway, Holland.

Hereford: Bizet Te Deum – UK premiere.

Albert Hall: Gloriana, in concert.

Sadlers Wells: Handel Atalanta.

1974

Croydon: War Requiem.

Broadcast: French songs.

Dies Hampstead, London, 5 April

A Career

Biography Performance list
  • A Career – Introduction
  • Timeline
  • Biography
  • Performance list
  • A Repertoire – Introduction
  • Baroque
  • Classical/Romantic
  • Benjamin Britten
  • Other Modern
  • – Malcolm Williamson
  • – Arthur Bliss
  • – Francis Poulenc
  • – Roberto Gerhard
  • – Manolis Kalomiris
  • – Brian Easdale
  • – Guy Halahan
  • – Peter Racine Fricker
  • – Gordon Crosse
  • A Woman – Introduction
  • The Vyvyans
  • Character
  • Voice
  • Appreciation
  • Ivan Clayton
  • A World – Introduction
  • Companies
  • Singers
  • Cold War Cultural Diplomacy
  • Finance
  • A Legacy – Introduction
  • Recordings
  • – Radio
  • – TV & Film
  • – Discs
  • Discography
  • Scholarships
  • Research
  • Facebook page

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