Te Kanawa was born in Gisborne, on New Zealand's North Island. She has both Māori and European ancestry, but little is known about her birth parents as she was adopted as an infant. She is the adopted daughter of an Irish mother and Māori father. In her teens and early 20s, Te Kanawa was a pop star and popular entertainer at clubs in New Zealand.
She was educated at Saint Mary's College Auckland and formally trained in operatic singing by the celebrated Dame Sister Mary Leo, RSM, who was New Zealand's best-known opera coach. She began her singing career as a mezzo-soprano, but later developed into a soprano. Her recording of the "Nuns' Chorus" from the Strauss operetta Casanova was New Zealand's first gold record.
Kiri married Desmond Park, whom she met on a blind date in Auckland in August 1967 and married 6 months later. The couple adopted two children, Antonia (1976) and Thomas (1979, named after Kiri's adoptive father). The couple divorced in the late 1990s.
Career
In 1965 she won the prestigious Mobil Song Quest, entered by all types of singers, jazz, pop and classical, with her performance of Puccini's "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca. As the winner, she received a grant to study in London.
Early years in London
In 1966, without an audition, she enrolled at the London Opera Centre to study under James Robertson, who is said to have stated that Te Kanawa did not have any singing technique when she arrived at the school but did have a gift for captivating audiences.
She first appeared on stage as the "Second Lady" in Die Zauberflöte, as well as in performances of Dido and Aeneas in December 1968 at the Sadler's Wells Theatre. In 1969, she sang "Elena" in Gioacchino Rossini's La donna del lago at the Camden Festival. Praise for her "Idamante" in Mozart's Idomeneo led to an offer of a three-year contract as junior principal at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden where she made her debut as 'Xenia' in Boris Godunov and a 'Flower Maiden' in Parsifal in 1970, and was also heard as the "Voice from Heaven", an off-stage role, at the end of Verdi's Don Carlo. Also, during 1969, she was offered the role of the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro after an audition in which the conductor, Colin Davis said "I couldn't believe my ears. I've taken thousands of auditions, but it was such a fantastically beautiful voice." Under director John Copley, Te Kanawa was carefully groomed for the role for a December 1971 opening.
International career
Meanwhile, word of her success had reached John Crosby at the Santa Fe Opera, a summer opera festival in the U.S. state of New Mexico then about to begin its fifteenth season. He cast her in the role of the Countess in Figaro, which opened on 30 July 1971. "It was two of the newcomers who left the audience dazzled: Frederica von Stade as Cherubino and Kiri Te Kanawa as the Countess. Everyone knew at once that these were brilliant finds. History has confirmed that first impression." Von Stade and Te Kanawa have continued this association even up to the present day. In 2007, they sang together at Kiri's farewell concert in Carnegie Hall.
But on 1 December 1971 at Covent Garden, Kiri Te Kanawa repeated the Santa Fe triumph and created an international sensation in the same role: "with 'Porgi amor' Kiri knocked the place flat." It was followed by performances as the Countess at the San Francisco Opera in autumn 1972, while her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1974 as Desdemona in Otello took place on short notice, replacing an ill Teresa Stratas at the last minute.
In subsequent years, she performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Paris Opera, Sydney Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, San Francisco Opera, Munich and Cologne, adding the Mozart roles of Donna Elvira, Pamina, and Fiordiligi, in addition to Italian roles such as Mimi in La bohème. She played Donna Elvira in Joseph Losey's 1979 film adaptation of Don Giovanni.
Te Kanawa has a particular affinity for the heroines of Richard Strauss. Her first appearance in the title role in Arabella was at the Houston Grand Opera in 1977, followed by the roles of the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and the Countess in Capriccio. Many performances were given under the baton of Georg Solti and it was with him that she made her first recording of Figaro.
Te Kanawa retired from the opera stage after her performances in Samuel Barber's Vanessa with the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera in November/December 2004, but she still performs in concert halls.
UK talk show host Michael Parkinson asked her to name the person she felt was the greatest singer that ever lived. She replied: "The young Elvis Presley, without any doubt."
Honours
Kiri Te Kanawa was conferred a Dame Commander of The Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1982, invested as an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1990 and awarded the prestigious Order of New Zealand (ONZ) in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours List. She has also received honorary degrees from the following universities in the UK: Cambridge, Dundee, Durham, Nottingham, Oxford, Sunderland, Warwick as well as these universities worldwide: Chicago, Auckland and Waikato as well as being honorary fellow of Somerville College, Oxford and Wolfson College, Cambridge. She is also patron of Ringmer Community College, a school in the South-East of England.
Controversy
Te Kanawa has always been popular among New Zealanders, but in a 2003 interview with the Melbourne-based Herald Sun she was critical of the high rate of welfare dependence among the Māori people, angering some of her compatriots.
Te Kanawa has recently been taken to court by Leading Edge for cancelling a concert with Australian singer John Farnham after learning that his fans sometimes threw their underwear on stage, which he would then proudly display. She won this breach-of-contract lawsuit, in part because no binding contract was made, but over $100,000 in court costs were awarded against the Mittane holding company which employs and manages Te Kanawa.
Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation
Kiri founded the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation with the vision "that talented young New Zealand singers and musicians with complete dedication to their art may receive judicious and thoughtful mentoring and support to assist them in realising their dreams."
The Foundation manages a trust fund to provide financial and career scholarships to young New Zealand singers and musicians.
By Strauss
Kiri Te Kanawa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be off with your Irving Berlin
Oh I give no quarter to Kern or Cole Porter
And Gershwin keeps pounding on tin
How can I be civil when hearing this drivel
It`s only for nightclubbin` souses
Oh give me the free `n` easy waltz that is Vienneasy and
The waltz must be Strauss`s
Ya, ya ya, give me oom-pa-pah
When I want a melody
Lilting through the house
Then I want a melody
By Strauss
It laughs, it sings, the world is in rhyme
Swinging to three-quarter time
Let the Danube flow along
And the Fledermauss
Keep the wine and give me song
By Strauss
By Jove, by Jing, by Strauss is the thing
So I say to ha-cha-cha, heraus!
Just give me your oom-pa-pah, by Strauss!
Let the Danube flow along
And the Fledermauss
Keep the wine and give me song
By Strauss
By Jove, by Jing, by Strauss is the thing
So I say to ha-cha-cha, heraus!
Just give me your oom-pa-pah,
Kiri Te Kanawa's "By Strauss" is a witty song that is a subtle critique of Broadway music as compared to the elegance of Viennese waltz. The song begins with the singer distancing himself from the unrefined music of Broadway, declaring that he does not give any regard to the likes of Irving Berlin, Kern or Cole Porter, and even George Gershwin, whose music the singer perceives as too crude for his taste. The singer then emphasizes his preference for the "free 'n' easy waltz" that is Viennese, and demands that the waltz must be a creation of Johann Strauss.
The song then shifts its tone to a more enthusiastic one as the singer excitedly expresses his admiration for Strauss's music. He loves the playful and musical quality of Strauss's melodies that make every rhythm and rhyme flow together seamlessly. The singer looks forward to the "oom-pa-pah" rhythm of Strauss's music which he claims to be the perfect melody to make any party livelier. The song ultimately celebrates the timeless music of Johann Strauss, who is deemed to be the epitome of sophistication and elegance.
Line by Line Meaning
Away with the music of Broadway
I cannot stand the music of Broadway and I don't want to hear it anymore.
Be off with your Irving Berlin
I don't want to hear songs composed by Irving Berlin.
Oh I give no quarter to Kern or Cole Porter
I won't tolerate hearing music composed by Kern or Cole Porter.
And Gershwin keeps pounding on tin
I don't want to hear Gershwin's music anymore, it sounds like pounding on metal.
How can I be civil when hearing this drivel
Why should I be polite when I hear this nonsense?
It's only for nightclubbin' souses
This music is only suitable for people who go to nightclubs and drink excessively.
Oh give me the free 'n' easy waltz that is Vienneasy and
I want a waltz that is light and carefree, like the Vienneasy style.
Go tell the band If they want a hand The waltz must be Strauss's
Tell the band that if they want my support, they must play waltz composed by Strauss.
Ya, ya ya, give me oom-pa-pah
I want the lively and cheerful oom-pa-pah rhythm.
When I want a melody Lilting through the house
When I want to hear a melody that flows smoothly throughout the house.
Then I want a melody By Strauss
I want to hear a melody composed by Strauss.
It laughs, it sings, the world is in rhyme
Strauss's music is joyous and harmonious, making the whole world feel better.
Swinging to three-quarter time
Strauss's music is set to the waltz's three-quarter time signature, making it danceable and fun.
Let the Danube flow along And the Fledermauss
Let the Danube river flow and the Fledermauss operetta play to set the mood for Strauss's music.
Keep the wine and give me song By Strauss
While keeping the wine flowing, I want to hear songs composed by Strauss.
By Jove, by Jing, by Strauss is the thing
By Jupiter and by Jingo, Strauss's music is what I want to hear.
So I say to ha-cha-cha, heraus! Just give me your oom-pa-pah, by Strauss!
In place of ha-cha-cha, I want to hear the lively oom-pa-pah rhythm of Strauss's music, so let's get started!
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Barbara Trehy
I have listened to many great singers performing this unique and wondrous work, but this is the one I will be taking to the desert island or the grave, whichever comes first. She has that sheer lyrical beauty that so perfectly fits the music. Thank you, Francisco, for posting this.
Andre de Kock
I have Dame Kiri's early recording of this wonderful work (along with MANY other sopranos), which was a really good performance, but this is many years later and both the voice and the person have matured considerably. I believe these songs NEED to be sung by mature women who have been through life and have a deep, first-hand understanding of the cycle of life and the inevitability of death looming on our horizons. Dame Kiri speaks to my spirit with this performance and I have no doubt that Sir Georg has had a large role to play in forming this sublime performance and interpretation. Molto brava!
apalikatt
Still my favorite Strauss soprano - always has been! She is the maestra of making such difficult music look effortless!
Elisabeth Bouchonnet
Ppppp
Roberto Oliveira
Dame te Kanawa is absolutely sublime when singing these songs; her singing is so full of nuances and shadings, and each musical note carries a vivid and honest emotion in it. Pity the last movement is a bit too rushed for my taste, but her singing is exquisite, it takes me to a place I didn't know could exist in music.
casus belli
Thank you for sharing and posting the program in its entirety. I think Dame Kiri has done a fabulous interpretation of these lieder.
Francisco Javier Torres Rodríguez
Hardy Widjaya I am glad you like it, Hardy. Best regards!
Harold Schwartz
This is the greatest of the all. She brings me to tears
Alan Gregory
The tears are streaming dowm my cheeks............I can't say how beautiful this is.........forgive me..............
Kat Ashken
Magnificent
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