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.
I
Kiri Te Kanawa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, so pretty,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight.
I feel charming,
Oh, so charming
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real.
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!
I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
GIRLS
Have you met my good friend Maria,
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her,
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock.
She thinks she's in love.
She thinks she's in Spain.
She isn't in love,
She's merely insane.
It must be the heat
Or some rare disease,
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas.
Keep away from her,
Send for Chino!
This is not the
Maria we know!
Modest and pure,
Polite and refined,
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind!
MARIA
I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty
That the city should give me its key.
A committee
Should be organized to honor me.
GIRLS
La la la la . . .
MARIA
I feel dizzy,
I feel sunny,
I feel fizzy and funny and fine,
And so pretty,
Miss America can just resign!
GIRLS
La la la la . . .
MARIA
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
GIRLS
What mirror where?
MARIA
Who can that attractive girl be?
GIRLS
Which? What? Where? Whom?
MARIA
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!
GIRLS
Such a pretty me!
ALL
I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
The song "I Feel Pretty" from the musical West Side Story is sung by the character Maria, played by Kiri Te Kanawa or Tatiana Troyanos, who is head-over-heels in love and feeling confident and beautiful. The lyrics describe her feeling pretty, witty, and bright, charming, and stunning, as well as feeling entranced and joyous, all because she's in love with a wonderful boy. She even states that she feels so pretty that she believes the city should reward her with a key, and a committee should be created to honor her.
On the other hand, the girls around her seem to be mocking and judging her. In a separate part of the song, they sing about the character Maria's friend, who's "crazy" and "in an advanced state of shock" because she thinks she's in love or in Spain. They suggest that Chino be called and that "this is not the Maria we know." Thus, the song gives off contrasting moods between Maria and her friends, who appear to be discovering certain traits that Maria possesses that are not necessarily present in her friend.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel pretty
I am feeling beautiful and confident
Oh, so pretty
I am feeling extremely beautiful
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
I am feeling not only beautiful, but also clever and intelligent
And I pity any girl who isn't me tonight.
I feel sorry for any girl who doesn't feel as confident and beautiful as I do today
I feel charming
I am feeling charming and attractive
Oh, so charming
I am feeling extremely charming and attractive
It's alarming how charming I feel!
I am surprised at how charming and attractive I feel
And so pretty That I hardly can believe I'm real.
I feel so beautiful that I can hardly believe it's real
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Look at the beautiful girl in the mirror
Who can that attractive girl be?
Who is that good-looking girl in the mirror?
Such a pretty face,
My face is so pretty
Such a pretty dress,
My dress is so pretty
Such a pretty smile,
My smile is so pretty
Such a pretty me!
I am so pretty overall
I feel stunning
I am feeling stunningly beautiful
And entrancing,
I am feeling captivating and enchanting
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
I feel like running and dancing because of my happiness and confidence
For I'm loved By a pretty wonderful boy!
I am loved by a wonderful, attractive boy
She thinks she's in love.
Maria believes she is in love
She thinks she's in Spain.
Maria believes she is in Spain
She isn't in love,
Maria is not truly in love
She's merely insane.
Maria is crazy
It must be the heat
The heat must be the cause of Maria's craziness
Or some rare disease,
Maria could have a rare disease causing her craziness
Or too much to eat
Overeating could also be a cause of Maria's craziness
Or maybe it's fleas.
Maria could have fleas causing her craziness
Keep away from her, Send for Chino!
Stay away from Maria and call Chino for help
This is not the Maria we know!
Maria's current behavior is not normal for her
That the city should give me its key.
I should be given the key to the city because of my beauty and attractiveness
A committee
A group of people should be formed
Should be organized to honor me.
This committee should be created to honor my beauty and attractiveness
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Look at the beautiful girl in the mirror
What mirror where?
Which mirror are you talking about?
Who can that attractive girl be?
Who is that good-looking girl in the mirror?
Such a pretty face,
My face is so pretty
Such a pretty dress,
My dress is so pretty
Such a pretty smile,
My smile is so pretty
Such a pretty me!
I am so pretty overall
I feel stunning
I am feeling stunningly beautiful
And entrancing,
I am feeling captivating and enchanting
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
I feel like running and dancing because of my happiness and confidence
For I'm loved By a pretty wonderful boy!
I am loved by a wonderful, attractive boy
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAT VIDAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Arlete Guerra
é um previlégio ouvir esta música e esta voz. maravilhosa!!
Joycie JD
I absolutely cannot get enough of Dame Kiri. She is magnificent.
John Schofield
Que lindo canta esta señora!!!!, she is one my favorites of all times!!!, wonderful interpretation...magnific,magnifica,bravaaaa!!!!!
kiama desmangles
The more I listen to her, the more I enjoy her. She sounds so refreshing singing this piece. Pretty!
Dante Fermo
She was the one that started my love for opera. She is the best
tzechuk
This shows Dame Kiri's versatility. She is simply brilliant.
Ireland from Above
This is one of the greatests sopranos of the history of opera. A timeless diva. Used to sing with Pavarotti and Domingo. =)
Jonathan Partridge
I think Kiri does this very well. There is real emotion and presence here. It astounds me how she can transfer her voice to different styles. Admitted she still sounds operatic but that’s ok. It’s her commitment I care about and I really believe in her performance here.
Fredo Joaquim
Soprano operatic Dame Te Kanawa profoundly rocks this well known ballad from "Les Miserables". Lovely and sublime.
I also admire the versions by Neil Diamond and Susan Boyle.
laurita942
Pois acho que ela canta maravilhosamente esta canção. E como canção. Surpreendeu-me!