Kathleen Ferrier in New York, consists of historic performances of Mahler and Bach by the much-loved contralto during her triumphant visits to the United States in 1948 and 1950. Several are from the BBC’s own archives and include Ferrier’s first broadcast of Rubbra’s Three Psalms Op. In honor of the centennial of her birth, EMI has released her complete recordings on the label in a three-disc set, an impressive showcase of her artistry in trademark works of Bach, Gluck, Handel and Mahler.

Sir Thomas Allen, the distinguished interpreter of British song and Trustee of the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, contributes an extensive booklet commentary. The three Bach additions culminate in ‘Bist du bei mir’ which, given Ferrier’s cruelly premature demise, lingers as long in the memory as the final repetitions – for ever …and ever. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).

They work with all the major payment providers across the Globe and you can pay in your local currency. This features recordings made for Decca and the BBC between 1946 and 1953 and includes a previously unpublished recording of Ferrier’s passionate performance of Lennox Berkeley’s Four Poems of St Teresa of Ávila. She took up singing at the relatively late age of 25, studying first with JE Hutchinson and later with Roy Henderson (whose pupils also included the soprano Jennifer Vyvyan and the contralto Norma Procter). One of the most beloved singers of the mid-twentieth century, Kathleen Ferrier was born in Lancashire in 1912 and worked as a telephonist for the GPO whilst performing regularly as an amateur pianist at local music festivals and competitions.

sung it only once before and was never to again – the Magnificat was a work the much-loved singer felt a close affinity, joyfully declaring “Oh! It was a considerable honour for Ferrier to be invited… what was quite astonishing was that of all the 15 soloists taking part [she] was the only non-native German speaker. In addition, there are eight treasurable items from a 1949 Norwegian Radio recital in Oslo, which include her only published recordings of Hugo Wolf. Kathleen Ferrier in Celebration of Bach ( Ariadne 5004) was acclaimed by Gramophone as “an important addition to Ferrier’s discography… one of the most beautiful things she ever committed to disc”. From the same venue and period, Jacques and the Cantata Singers offer a bewitching encore in the sublime Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our site, provide personalised content and advertising, analyse our traffic, and ensure you see more of what you love.