ONE DAY AT A TIME: A FanFaire Interview
In February 2006 during his last engagement with San Diego Opera conducting Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Maestro Richard Bonynge graciously gave us an interview over breakfast at his hotel dining room. As the audio excerpts below show, he was most generous with his time and his wonderful stories-culled from the incomparably charmed life he led with Dame Joan Sutherland-from how the Bonynge name came to be to how the Sutherland voice became legend. He tells of the hard work that made a spectacular success of their life’s journey and shares with obvious relish the unintended, joyful rewards they reaped from a life supremely well-lived.
LISTEN to MAESTRO RICHARD BONYNGE:
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BONYNGE- it’s a Huguenot name! |
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I’ve always been interested in singers |
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The Piano: Second nature to me, but… |
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I fell in love with opera and ballet |
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Joan… set to be a Wagnerian |
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I love Wagner! |
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We’ve been married 52 years! |
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I found my own way to conduc, obviously it worked |
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Covent Garden - everything in English |
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F sharp, but she didn’t like doing it! |
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I have too much work! |
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Researching bel canto |
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Recordings & Pirates |
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I love the theatre, I love drama! |
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I love doing opera that other people don’t do |
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Pavarotti |
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Opera: past and present |
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Updated opera: I hate it! |
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The collector |
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Ballet |
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I wrote a book… |
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One day at a time |
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Family…I’ve been very, very lucky! | ||
