Jonathan Stewart Vickers, (October 29, 1926 – July 10, 2015), known professionally as Jon Vickers, was a Canadian heldentenor. Born in

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

, Saskatchewan, he was the sixth in a family of eight children. In 1950, he was awarded a scholarship to study opera at

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

in Toronto. In 1957 Vickers joined London’s

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

, Covent Garden company. In 1960 he joined the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

. He became world-famous for a wide range of German, French, and Italian roles. Vickers' huge, powerful voice and solid technique met the demands of many French, German, and Italian roles. He was also highly regarded for his powerful stage presence and thoughtful characterizations. (Conversely, he was sometimes criticized for "scooping"—beginning a note below pitch and then sliding up to the correct pitch—and for "crooning".) In 1968 he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. Vickers received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, in 1998.

Career

Vickers studied with George Lambert at

Jon Vickers
(in German) Bayreuth Festival. Retrieved July 14, 2015 and sang professionally in Canada from the early- to mid-1950s. In 1952 he won the '' Nos futures étoiles'' competition on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

. His international career began with his 1957

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

Riccardo in

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Un ballo in maschera ''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''. The ...

''. He continued to appear there into the 1980s, putting his personal stamp on the roles of Énée in Berlioz's ''

Les Troyens ''Les Troyens'' (; in English: ''The Trojans'') is a French grand opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself from Virgil's epic poem the ''Aeneid''; the score was composed between 1856 and 1858. ''Les Tro ...

'', Radamès in Verdi's '' Aida'' and the title role in his ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...

'',

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's '' Samson'', Florestan in

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, with ...

'', Tristan in

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's '' Tristan und Isolde'', Canio in

Leoncavallo Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo ( , , ; 23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he produced numerous operas and other songs throughout his career it is his opera ''Pagliacci'' (1892) that remained his ...

's ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

'', and the title role in Britten's ''

Peter Grimes ''Peter Grimes'', Op. 33, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Montagu Slater based on the section "Peter Grimes", in George Crabbe's long narrative poem '' The Borough''. The "borough" of the opera is a fictional ...

''. Some critics praised Vickers' Tristan as the best since Lauritz Melchior's. He debuted at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived ...

in 1958 as Siegmund in '' Die Walküre'' and sang '' Parsifal'' there in 1964. Later negotiations with Wieland Wagner concerning appearances as Siegfried in '' Götterdämmerung'' ceased on Wieland's death in 1966. His debut role at the

in 1960 was Canio in ''Pagliacci''. He appeared at the Met for a period of 27 years in 280 performances of 17 roles, including Florestan in ''Fidelio'', Siegmund in

's '' Die Walküre'', Don Jose in

Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', which has become on ...

's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'', Radamès in ''Aida'', Erik in Wagner's '' Der fliegende Holländer'', Herman in Tchaikovsky's '' Queen of Spades'', Samson in both Handel's oratorio and Saint-Saëns' '' Samson et Dalila'', the title role of

's ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

'', Don Alvaro in Verdi's ''

La forza del destino ' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, wi ...

'', ''Peter Grimes'', '' Tristan und Isolde'', Laca in Janáček's '' Jenůfa'', Vasek in Smetana's '' The Bartered Bride'', and the title role in Wagner's '' Parsifal'', giving his farewell in 1987. Among Vickers' more notable recordings were ''Tristan und Isolde'' in 1972 with Herbert von Karajan (Vickers became one of Karajan's favourite singers at the lavish Salzburg Easter and Summer Festivals in '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'', ''

'', ''

'' as well as '' Tristan und Isolde''), ''

'', singing the part of Énée (Aeneas), with Sir Colin Davis in 1969,''Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life'' (1999) by Jeannie Williams and

Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide répertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner a ...

and a legendary and controversial 1959 recording of Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

'' with Sir

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...

. Although scheduled to sing

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1 ...

at Covent Garden in the late 1970s, Vickers dropped out, claiming he could not empathize with the character, and that the opera itself was blasphemous in nature. He sang Nerone in Monteverdi's '' L'incoronazione di Poppea'' at the Paris Opéra, and Alvaro in ''La forza del destino'' at the Met (1975). His roles also included Don Carlos, Andrea Chenier, Herod in ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'', Giasone in ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'' (with

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

in the title role), Pollione in '' Norma'' and rarely heard parts such as Cellini in Berlioz's ''

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

'', Ratan-Sen in Roussel's ''Padmavati'' and Sergei in

Shostakovitch Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

's '' Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District''. Many critics praised his interpretation of Verdi's ''

'', which he recorded twice: in 1960 with Tullio Serafin and 1973 with Herbert von Karajan. Vickers also was a long time collaborator with American pianist

Richard Woitach Richard Woitach (July 27, 1935 – October 3, 2020) was an American conductor, pianist, and composer. In 1959, after studying music at the Eastman School of Music, Woitach jointed the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and served as a staff c ...

. Vickers further sang at the 'home' of Italian opera, Milan's

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

, as well as in the major opera houses of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...

. He retired in 1988.

Personal life and death

Vickers was born into the musical family of William, a teacher and school principal, and Myrle (née Mossop). As a youth he sang in his father's church, and his initial intention was to study medicine. He worked on a neighbour's farm and acquired the muscular stature that characterized him. During a semi-professional production his leading lady made a recording of his voice and sent it to The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He auditioned there with Every Valley Shall be Exalted and was offered a scholarship. In 1953 he married Henrietta (Hetti) Outerbridge. They had five children. After her death in 1991, he married Judith Stewart. Vickers died of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

on July 10, 2015, in Ontario.

Religion

He was a dedicated, outspoken Protestant; one writer referred to him as "God's tenor" for this reason.

Discography

Vickers' voice was recorded in dozens of performances, including:

Opera recordings

* Aeneas in Berlioz's ''

,'' with conductor

Rafael Kubelik Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * Rafa ...

, live recording from the Royal Opera, Coven Garden in 1957 * Giasone in Cherubini's ''

'', with conductor

Nicola Rescigno Nicola Rescigno (May 28, 1916 – August 4, 2008) was an Italy, Italian-United States, American conductor (music), conductor, particularly associated with the Italian opera repertory. ''Opera News'' said that "Rescigno was a seminal figure in the ...

, live recording from Dallas Civic Opera 1958. * Don Carlo in

Verdi's Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

'', with conductor

Carlo Maria Giulini Carlo Maria Giulini (; 9 May 1914 – 14 June 2005) was an Italian conductor. From the age of five, when he began to play the violin, Giulini's musical education was expanded when he began to study at Italy's foremost conservatory, the Conserva ...

, live recording from the

, Covent Garden 1958. * Siegmund in

Wagner's Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

'' Die Walküre'', with conductor Hans Knappertsbusch, live recording from the

1958. * Samson in Handel's '' Samson'', with conductor Raymond Leppard, live recording from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden 1959. * Otello in Verdi's ''

'', with conductor Tullio Serafin, RCA Victor 1960. * Siegmund in

'' Die Walküre'', with conductor Erich Leinsdorf, Rca-Decca 1961. * Radames in Verdi's '' Aida'', with conductor Sir

Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt and London, and as a long-servin ...

, Rca-Decca 1961. * Florestan in Beethoven's ''

'', with conductor Otto Klemperer, EMI 1961. * Samson in Saint-Saëns' '' Samson and Delilah'', with conductor Georges Prêtre, EMI 1962. * Gustavo III in Verdi's ''

'', with conductor

Edward Downes Sir Edward Thomas ("Ted") Downes, CBE (17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009) was an English conductor, specialising in opera. He was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for his ...

, live recording from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden 1962. * Parsifal in Wagner's '' Parsifal'', with conductor Hans Knappertsbusch, live recording from the

1964. * Siegmund in Wagner's '' Die Walküre'', with conductor Herbert von Karajan, Deutsche Grammophon 1966. * Énée in Berlioz's ''

'', with conductor

Colin Davis Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom h ...

, Philips 1969. * Don José in Bizet's ''

'', with conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, EMI 1969–70. * Florestan in Beethoven's ''Fidelio'', with conductor Herbert von Karajan, EMI 1970. * Tristan in Wagner's '' Tristan und Isolde'', with conductor Herbert von Karajan, EMI 1971–72. * Otello in Verdi's ''Otello'', with conductor Herbert von Karajan, EMI 1973. * Pollione in Bellini's '' Norma'', with conductor

Giuseppe Patanè Giuseppe Patanè (1 January 1932 – 29 May 1989) was an Italian opera conductor. He was born in Naples, the son of the conductor Franco Patanè (1908–1968), and studied in his native city. He made his debut there in 1951. He was principal con ...

, live recording from the Festival d'Orange 1974. * Cellini in Berlioz's ''

'', with conductor Sarah Caldwell, VAI 1975.Performed in English, . * Grimes in Britten's ''

'', with conductor Colin Davis, Philips 1978.

Concert recordings

* Elgar: ''

The Dream of Gerontius ''The Dream of Gerontius'', Op. 38, is a work for voices and orchestra in two parts composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by John Henry Newman. It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment b ...

'', with conductor Sir John Barbirolli, live recording Rome 1957 *

: ''

'', with conductor Sir

, RCA Victor 1959 * Vaughan Williams: ''

Serenade to Music ''Serenade to Music'' is an orchestral concert work completed in 1938 by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, written as a tribute to conductor Sir Henry Wood. It features an orchestra and 16 vocal soloists, with lyrics adapted from the disc ...

'', with conductor

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

, live recording from the Lincoln Center NY 1962 *

: ''

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

'', with conductor Sir John Barbirolli, EMI 1969–70 * Mahler: '' Das Lied von der Erde'', with conductor Sir

, Philips 1981 *

: Symphony No. 9, "Choral", with conductor

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the foun ...

, RCA Red Seal 1984.

Recital recordings

* ''Italian Opera Arias'': Arias by

Cilea Cilea or CILEA may refer to: * Consorzio Interuniversitario Lombardo per l'Elaborazione Automatica, academic consortium in Italy * Francesco Cilea Francesco Cilea (; 23 July 1866 – 20 November 1950) was an Italian composer. Today he is partic ...

Flotow Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow /flo:to/ (27 April 1812 – 24 January 1883) was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera ''Martha'', which was popular in the 19th century and the early part of the 20th. Life ...

, Giordano,

Ponchielli Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla. Life and work Born in Paderno Fasolaro (now Paderno Ponchiell ...

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...

and

, with conductor Tullio Serafin, RCA Victor 1961. *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

: ''

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert ( D. 911, published as Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the second of Schubert's two song cycles on Müller' ...

'' with pianist Geoffrey Parsons, EMI 1983. *

: ''

'' with pianist Peter Schaaf, VAI 1995. *

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

: ''

Enoch Arden ''Enoch Arden'' is a narrative poem published in 1864 by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, during his tenure as England's poet laureate. The story on which it was based was provided to Tennyson by Thomas Woolner. The poem lent its name to a principle in ...

'', Op. 38, with pianist

Marc-André Hamelin Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ (born September 5, 1961), is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical proficiency of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has received 11 Gr ...

, VAI 2006.

References

Bibliography

* Kuhn, Laura (ed.). "Vickers, Jon(athan) Stewart" in ''Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music: R-Z'', p. 1952. Schirmer Books, 1999. * Macdonnell, W.M. and Norman, Barbara
"Vickers, Jonathan Stewart"
.

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

''Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life''
by Jeannie Williams, Northeastern University Press, 1999.

External links

by Bruce Duffie (originally published 1981 in ''Wagner News'', the newsletter of the

Wagner Society of America Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

)
Jon Vickers
wagneropera.net *
On YouTube as Otello

Singing MESSIAH (YouTube)

Siegmund in DIE WALKURE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vickers, Jon 1926 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Canadian male opera singers Grammy Award winners Canadian operatic tenors Heldentenors Companions of the Order of Canada Singers from Saskatchewan People from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Neurological disease deaths in Ontario Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Canada Governor General's Award winners