WELCOME
TO
THE SUTHERLAND/BONYNGE REFERENCE CENTER
It is a happy coincidence that Dame Joan Sutherland's spectacular international
career spanned a half century of rapid advances in print and recording
technology.
Her legacy, perhaps first among the great voices, includes a phenomenal
abundance of recordings that preserve for generations to come and with
the utmost fidelity the vocal magic that is distinctly "La Stupenda's".
The available videos do not include any of her legendary Covent Garden
performances as, unlike her Australian appearances, none appears to
have been captured on film. Nevertheless, what is available is an operatic
treasure trove.
This Reference Center is FanFaire's attempt to put together as completely
as possible a compendium of the works that exist in print and on disc,
by and about opera's fabled couple. This will remain a work in progress.
Since Dame Joan retired from the operatic stage, she has made occasional
public appearances, such as in connection with her autobiography, and
she is still very much within the purview of today's music historians.
In addition, one only has to scroll down the list of reissued (and to
be reissued) recordings to realize that there is today a Dame Joan Sutherland
revival, which guarantees that we have not heard nor read the last of
her, nor of her partner in life and music, Maestro Richard Bonynge who,
far from retired, continues to delight audiences worldwide with his
masterful reading of bel canto music.
