Bernadette Greevy

Bernadette Greevy (3 July 1940 – 26 September 2008) was an Irish mezzo-soprano. She was founder and artistic director of the Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival."The Irish Times", "Festival seeks to promote opera among young people", September 3, 2008] She was the first artist-in-residence at the Dublin Institute of Technology's Faculty of Applied Arts.

Biography

Bernadette Greevy was born in Clontarf, Dublin and was one of seven children. She went to school at the Holy Faith Convent in Clontarf and later studied in Dublin with Jean Nolan and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Helene Isepp."The Irish Times", "Tributes paid to Bernadette Greevy", September 30, 2008]

Greevy made her first appearance on the operatic stage at the age of 18 in the role of Siebel in Gounod's "Faust" at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. In 1961, she made her professional operatic debut as Maddalena in the Dublin Grand Opera Society's production of Verdi's "Rigoletto"."The Irish Times", "Mezzo's talent matched by uncompromising principles", October 4, 2008] She appeared at the Wexford Festival in 1962 as Beppe in Pietro Mascagni’s "L'amico Fritz". She made her Royal Opera House début in 1982 as Genevieve in Claude Debussy’s "Pelléas et Mélisande".

However, Greevy never developed the acting skills necessary for true operatic success, and made her musical mark instead in the world of oratorio and song recitals. She was introduced to works such as Elgar's "The Dream of Gerontius" and Handel's "Messiah" by Sir John Barbirolli, and later recorded music by Mahler, Bach and Haydn. ["The Irish Times", "A remarkable voice of remarkable longevity", September 30, 2008]

A 1966 review by Howard Klein in the "New York Times" of Greevy's recording of Handel arias stated: "The voice has the firm, compact resonance of a true contralto. She has endless breath and can move her voice with agility and precision." ["The New York Times", "Gwyneth Jones is a Comer", December 18, 1966, page X27]

Greevy had a special affinity with Mahler, in particular his orchestral song cycles. In 1966, she performed "Kindertotenlieder" in London with the then RTÉ Symphony Orchestra. "The Times" praised the 26-year-old Greevy's "full, glowing voice, rich and firm at the bottom, radiant at the top, and gloriously expressive phrasing". ["The Times", "Ireland sends her best to London", December 1, 1966] Later, in the 1990s, she performed all Mahler's vocal works with orchestra over a four-year period in the [http://www.teatrocolon.org.ar/ Teatro Colon] , Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Greevy chose to live in her native Dublin throughout her career rather than be based in one of the world's major music centres. She maintained confidently that "if you're good enough you can live where you like". Nevertheless, this decision undoubtedly curtailed her opportunities in the recording studio and on the concert stage.

Bernadette Greevy died aged 68 following a short illness. [ [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0929/breaking56.htm "The Irish Times", "Death announced of soprano Bernadette Greevy", September 29, 2008, 14:38] ] She was married to Peter Tattan, who predeceased her in 1983. They had one son, Hugh.

Operatic roles

*Bizet: "Carmen" (Carmen)
*Britten: "The Rape of Lucretia" (Lucretia)
*Gluck: "Orfeo e Euridice" (Orfeo)
*Handel: "Ariodante"
*Massenet: "Hérodiade" (Hérodiade)
*Massenet: "Werther"
*Purcell: "Dido and Æneas" (Dido)
*Saint-Saëns: "Samson et Dalila" (Delilah)
*Verdi: "Il Trovatore" (Azucena)
*Verdi: "Don Carlos" (Eboli)

Awards and honours

These include:
*Harriet Cohen International Music Award for Outstanding Artistry
*Order of Merit of Malta
*Honorary Doctorate of Music, National University of Ireland
*Honorary Doctorate of Music, Trinity College, Dublin
*Jacob's Award (1978) for her performance on radio of Mahler
*The papal cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (conferred by the Holy See)

Selected recordings

*Mahler: "Kindertotenlieder"/"Ruckert Lieder" (1997) (with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland conducted by János Fürst), Naxos 8.554156
* "A Sheaf of Songs from Ireland" (1998) (features songs by John F. Larchet, Charles Villiers Stanford, Carl Hardebeck, Gerard Victory, Vincent O’Brien and Havelock Nelson), Marco Polo 8.225098
*"Great Handel Arias" (1998) (with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields conducted by Raymond Leppard), Decca Eloquence 4615932
*"Bernadette Greevy Sings Brahms" (1998) (featuring "Vier ernste Gesänge" (Four Serious Songs), Op. 121, and Two Songs, for voice, viola and piano, Op. 91), Claddagh 52CD
*Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E flat; "Sea Pictures" (2002) (with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley), EMI 575306
*Gerard Victory: "Ultima Rerum" (2004), Marco Polo 8.223532-33

References

External links

* [http://www.dublinopera.com/ Dr. Bernadette Greevy 1940-2008] (currently has statement about Greevy's death)
* [http://www.dublinopera.com/aboutusfounder.html Bernadette Greevy (short biography)]
* [http://www.dublinopera.com Anna Livia International Opera Festival]