Dame Gwyneth Jones (born 7 November 1936) is a Welsh

dramatic soprano A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a ...

, widely regarded as one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos in the second half of the 20th century.

Early life and career

Jones was born in

Pontnewynydd Pontnewynydd is a predominantly working class suburb of Pontypool, Torfaen, in Wales. It should not be confused with Pontnewydd in nearby Cwmbran. Location It lies in between Pontypool to the south and Snatchwood to the north. The area of ...

, Monmouthshire, Wales. Before becoming a professional singer, she worked as a secretary at the Pontypool foundry. She studied music at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

, London, the

Accademia Musicale Chigiana The Accademia Musicale Chigiana (''English'': Chigiana Musical Academy) is a music institute in Siena, Italy. It was founded by Count Guido Chigi-Saracini in 1932 as an international centre for advanced musical studies. It organises Master Class ...

(Siena) as well as the International Opera Studio (Zürich). After making her professional debut in 1962 as a mezzo-soprano in

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...

's opera '' Orfeo ed Euridice'', she was engaged by the Zurich Opera House. She discovered that her easy top range could enable her to sing soprano roles and she switched to the soprano repertoire from around 1964, her first major soprano role being Amelia 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''. Th ...

''. Jones came to prominence in 1964 when she stood in for

Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first Af ...

as Leonora in Verdi's ''

Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'' at the

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 Ope ...

, Covent Garden. Her career then developed rapidly, and she met with success as

Aïda ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decembe ...

, Leonore (in ''

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, wi ...

''), Desdemona (in '' Otello''), Elisabeth (in ''

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 Fried ...

''), Donna Anna (in '' Don Giovanni''), Cio-cio-san (in '' Madama Butterfly''), Lady Macbeth (in Verdi's '' Macbeth''), Santuzza (in ''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play ...

''), Octavian (in ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...

''),

Médée ''Médée'' is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Pierre Corneille in 1635. Summary The heroine of the play is the sorceress Médée. After Médée gives Jason twin boys, Jason leaves her for Creusa. Médée ...

(in the Italian version) and

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language drama ...

. From these, she gradually proceeded to heavier roles such as Chrysothemis (in ''Elektra''), Salome, the Marschallin (in ''

''), Eva (in '' Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''), Senta (in ''

Der fliegende Holländer ' (''The Flying Dutchman''), WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hoftheater Dresden in 1843. Wagner cla ...

''), Kundry (in ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival ...

''), both Venus and Elisabeth (in ''

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 ...

''), Helena (in Strauss's ''

Die ägyptische Helena ''Die ägyptische Helena'' (''The Egyptian Helen''), Op. 75, is an opera in two acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It premiered at the Dresden Semperoper on 6 June 1928. Strauss had written the title role with ...

''), Ariadne (in ''

Ariadne auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's ...

'') and Sieglinde, as well as Brünnhilde (in ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...

''). She has appeared frequently at the Vienna State Opera, the Zurich Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the San Francisco Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Paris Opéra, the Teatro alla Scala, the Los Angeles Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as many prominent opera and music festivals. She made her debut at Teatro alla Scala as Leonora in ''

Il Trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'' on 4 April 1967. She returned to La Scala as the title role of '' Salome'' in January 1974. On 24 November 1972, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House of New York as Sieglinde in ''

''. Until her last appearance at the Met on 22 April 1995 (as Kundry in ''

''), she sang 11 parts in 10 operas for 93 times at the Met; the most frequent part was the Marschallin in ''

'' (20 times). In August 1979, she made her debut at Salzburg Summer Festival as the Marschallin.

Later career

Jones's large-scaled, powerful dramatic soprano voice, unusually robust vocal stamina, stage presence and acting abilities were widely admired. One of her most noted achievements was her interpretation of Brünnhilde in the Bayreuth ''

Jahrhundertring The ''Jahrhundertring'' (''Centenary Ring'') was the production of Richard Wagner's ''Ring Cycle'', ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'', at the Bayreuth Festival in 1976, celebrating the centenary of both the festival and the first performance of the comp ...

'' (''Centenary Ring'') in 1976, celebrating the centenary of both the festival and the first performance of the complete cycle, conducted by Pierre Boulez and staged by

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ...

. It was recorded and filmed in 1979 and 1980 for both video and audio discs. The recording won a Grammy in 1983. Her career at Bayreuth Festival is as below: *1966: Sieglinde in ''

'' *1968: Eva in '' Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' *1969: Senta in ''

'', Kundry in ''

'' *1970: Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'', Senta in ''Der fliegende Holländer'', Kundry in ''Parsifal'' *1971: Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'', Senta in ''Der fliegende Holländer'' *1972: Elisabeth and Venus in ''

'', Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'' *1973: Elisabeth and Venus in ''Tannhäuser'', Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'' *1974: Elisabeth and Venus in ''Tannhäuser'', Brünnhilde in ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), WWV 86D, is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', or ''The Ring Cycle'' or ''The Ring'' for short). It received its premiere at the on 17 August 1876, as ...

'' *1975: Brünnhilde in ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the '' Nibe ...

'' cycle *1976: Brünnhilde in ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' cycle (''

'' ) *1977: Brünnhilde in ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' cycle, Elisabeth and Venus in ''Tannhäuser'' *1978: Brünnhilde in ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' cycle *1979: Brünnhilde in ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' cycle *1980: Brünnhilde in ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' cycle *1982: Senta in ''Der fliegende Holländer'' Later in her career (from 1980 onwards), she undertook the title role of '' Elektra'', Isolde (in ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. It was comp ...

''), the Dyer's Wife (in ''

Die Frau ohne Schatten ' (''The Woman without a Shadow''), Op. 65, is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917. When it premiered at the V ...

''),

Turandot ''Turandot'' (; see below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano in 1926, and set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. ''Turandot'' best-known aria is " Nessun dorma", ...

, and Minnie (in ''

La fanciulla del West ''La fanciulla del West'' (''The Girl of the West'') is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by and , based on the 1905 play '' The Girl of the Golden West'' by the American author David Belasco. ''Fanciulla'' follow ...

''). While best known for her work in the Wagner-Strauss-Puccini repertoire, her versatility enabled her to take on other roles, such as Poppea (in ''

L'incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' ( SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, and was first performed at the Teatro Santi Giovanni ...

''), Hanna Glawari (in ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'') and

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

. Starting from the 1990s, other than the aforementioned parts, she went on to sing Widow Begbick ('' Mahagonny''), Ortrud (in ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...

''), the Woman in Arnold Schoenberg's ''

Erwartung ' (''Expectation''), Op. 17, is a one-act monodrama in four scenes by Arnold Schoenberg to a libretto by . Composed in 1909, it was not premiered until 6 June 1924 in Prague conducted by Alexander Zemlinsky with Marie Gutheil-Schoder as the sop ...

'', the Kostelnicka (in ''

Jenůfa ''Její pastorkyňa'' (''Her Stepdaughter''; commonly known as ''Jenůfa'' ) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play ''Její pastorkyňa'' by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed ...

''), the Kabanicha (in ''

Káťa Kabanová ''Káťa Kabanová'' (also known in various spellings including ''Katia'', ''Katja'', ''Katya'', and ''Kabanowa'') is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by the composer based on '' The Storm'', a play by Alexander ...

''), the Woman in Poulenc's ''

La voix humaine ' (English: ''The Human Voice'') is a forty-minute, one-act opera for soprano and orchestra composed by Francis Poulenc in 1958. The work is based on the play of the same name by Jean Cocteau, who, along with French soprano Denise Duval, worked ...

'', Ruth (in ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

''), Gertrud (in '' Hänsel und Gretel''), Herodias (in '' Salome'') and Klytämnestra (in '' Elektra''). She appeared as the Dyers Wife in ''Die Frau ohne Schatten'' at the

Cologne Opera The Cologne Opera (German language, German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper Köln) refers both to the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and to its resident opera company. History of the company From the mid 18th century, opera was performed in th ...

in 1980 in a production by Jean Pierre Ponnelle, conducted by John Pritchard, with Walter Berry as the Dyer, Róbert Ilosfalvy as the Emperor, Siv Wennberg as the Empress, and Helga Dernesch as the ''Amme''. Jones made roles that exemplify the Wagnerian or heavy dramatic soprano

fach The German system (; literally "compartment" or "subject of study", here in the sense of "vocal specialization") is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used ...

, such as Brünnhilde, Isolde, Elektra, the Dyer's Wife and Turandot, part of her core repertoire, and performed them throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She once famously undertook the roles of both Elisabeth and Venus in

Götz Friedrich Götz Friedrich (4 August 1930 in Naumburg, Germany – 12 December 2000 in Berlin, Germany) was a German opera and theatre director. He was a student and assistant of Walter Felsenstein at the Komische Oper Berlin in (East) Berlin, where he w ...

's production of ''

'' at the Bayreuth Festival in the 1970s, and has also been credited with the rare achievement of having performed all three major female roles in '' Elektra'' on stage. She also performed in concerts and lieder recitals, television and radio broadcasts and participated in several film projects, including the epic television series, ''

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 ...

'', in which she played the first Isolde, Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld. She has also devised for herself a couple of music-theatrical shows – ''Oh Malvina!'' and ''Die Frau im Schatten'' – which are inspired by real historical characters, namely, Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld and

Pauline de Ahna Pauline Maria de Ahna (also known as Pauline Strauss (4 February 1863 – 13 May 1950) was a German operatic soprano and the wife of composer Richard Strauss. Her singing career was closely tied to her husband's career as a conductor and composer. ...

(wife of Richard Strauss). The soprano part in the Symphony No. 9, titled "Vision of Eternity", of Welsh composer

Alun Hoddinott Alun Hoddinott CBE (11 August 1929 – 11 March 2008) was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition. Life and works Hoddinott was born in Bargoed, Glamorganshire, Wales. He was educated at Gowe ...

was written for, and premiered by, her.

Later activities

In 2003, Jones made her debut as director and costume designer in a stage production of ''Der fliegende Holländer'' in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

, Germany. She has also given master-classes for young singers at notable venues and colleges of music, and acted as an adjudicator in international vocal competitions, including the 2009

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition (known as Cardiff Singer of the World from 1983–2001 and BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff in 2003) is a competition for classical singers held every two years. The competition was started by BBC ...

and, more recently, the 2017 season of the reality operatic singing competition on the Russia-Kultura TV Channel, "The Big Opera" (the whole series of competition now being available for viewing on YouTube). In June 2007, she created the role of the Queen of Hearts in the world premiere of

Unsuk Chin Unsuk Chin ( ko, 진은숙 ; born July 14, 1961) is a South Korean composer of contemporary classical music, who is based in Berlin, Germany. Chin was self-taught piano from a young age and studied composition at Seoul National University as w ...

's new opera, '' Alice in Wonderland'', at the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

. In February 2008 she sang the part of Herodias in Stephen Langridge's production of Richard Strauss' '' Salome'' at Malmö Opera in Sweden. She repeated this role in August 2010, alongside the Salome of

Deborah Voigt Deborah Voigt (born August 4, 1960) is an American dramatic soprano who has sung roles in operas by Wagner and Richard Strauss. Biography and career Early life and education Debbie Joy Voigt was born into a religious Southern Baptist family ...

, in a concert performance at the Verbier Festival in Verbier, Switzerland, and performed the part on stage at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

in May 2012. She took part in a piece of musical theatre about the women of the Wagner clan and their influences on the Bayreuth Festival entitled ''Wagnerin. Ein Haus der Kunstmusik'', directed by Sven Holm at the 2012 Munich Opera Festival, playing

Cosima Wagner Francesca Gaetana Cosima Wagner (née Liszt; 24 December 1837 – 1 April 1930) was the daughter of the Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt and Franco-German romantic author Marie d'Agoult. She became the second wife of the German comp ...

. In March 2016, she made her debut as the Countess in Tchaikovsky's '' The Queen of Spades'' in a new production of the opera at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Germany. In April 2017, she took on the part of the Narrator in Richard Strauss' ''

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 i ...

'' in a concert in Landsberg. Jones makes a guest appearance in '' Quartet'', a film by

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

, based on the comedy by

Ronald Harwood Sir Ronald Harwood ( né Horwitz; 9 November 1934 – 8 September 2020) was a South African-born British author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for ''The Dresser'' (for w ...

about several retired opera singers planning to put on a concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday. She takes on the role of Anne Langley, a former operatic rival to Jean Horton, played by Dame Maggie Smith. The film was premiered to largely favourable reviews on 9 September at the 2012

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

, and Jones's performance was critically acclaimed. She was made

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1976 and was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1986. She is also the recipient of numerous musical/cultural awards and honours from many different countries and organisations, including the Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Golden Medal of Honour in Vienna, the Austrian Cross of Honour First Class, the

Shakespeare Prize The Shakespeare Prize was an annual prize for writing or performance awarded to a British citizen by the Hamburg Alfred Toepfer Foundation. First given by Alfred Toepfer in 1937 as an expression of his Anglophilia in the face of tense internatio ...

and the Puccini Award. She is a Kammersängerin at both the

and the

(and also an Honorary Member of the former), and she has been made a Commandeur de

L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

in France. She has been conferred honorary doctorates by the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

and the

University of Glamorgan , image_name = University of Glamorgan arms.png , image_size = 220px , caption = University of Glamorgan coat of arms , motto = Success Through Endeavour , established = , closed = , administrative_staff = , chancellor = John Morris ...

. She has been the President of the Wagner Society of Great Britain since 1990.

Recordings

*''Gwyneth Jones: Operatic Recital'' (Classic Recitals series). Arias from ''

'', ''

'' and '' La forza del destino'', plus

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 classic ...

's concert aria ''

Ah! Perfido "" (Ah! Deceiver), Op. 65, is a concert aria for soprano and orchestra by Ludwig van Beethoven. The dramatic '' scena'' begins with a recitative in C major, taken from Pietro Metastasio's '' Achille in Sciro''. The aria "Per pietà, non dirmi a ...

'', op. 65. Vienna Opera Orchestra, conductor Argeo Quadri (Decca/Philips 475 6412 6 DM), originally Decca 1967 *''Gwyneth Jones: Scenes from Verdi'': Arias from Aïda, Don Carlo, Macbeth, Otello. Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Edward Downes. Decca 1969. *''Gwyneth Jones sings Strauss Lieder'': Includes Zueignung, Die Nacht, Allerseelen, Cäcilie, etc. Geoffrey Parsons, pno. Capriccio 1989. *''Gwyneth Jones sings Strauss'': Vier letzte Lieder, etc. Tokyo Symphony Orchestra/Roberto Paternostro. KOCH Schwann 1991. *''Gwyneth Jones sings Wagner'': Scenes from ''Tannhäuser'', ''Lohengrin'', ''Tristan und Isolde'', ''Götterdämmerung''. Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester/Roberto Paternostro. Chandos 1991. *Beethoven, Symphony No. 9: Wiener Philharmoniker/Karl Böhm. Deutsche Grammophon *Beethoven, Symphony No. 9: Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Philharmoniker/Leonard Bernstein. Deutsche Grammophon *Mahler, Symphony No. 8: London Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Bernstein. Sony Classical *Sibelius, Tone Poems and Songs: London Symphony Orchestra, Scottish National Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker, BBC Symphony Orchestra/Antal Doráti, Alexander Gibson, Sir Malcolm Sargent. EMI (this included the world premiere recording of Sibelius's '' Luonnotar'')Gramophone, January 1970
/ref> *Mendelssohn, ''Elijah'': New Philharmonia Orchestra/Frühbeck de Burgos. EMI *''Operafest – A Gala Concert at the Zurich Opera House'': Zurich Opera House/Ferdinand Leitner,

Ralf Weikert Ralf Weikert (born 10 November 1940) is an Austrian conductor, especially of operas by Mozart and Rossini. He is an academic teacher of conducting in Luzern. Born in Sankt Florian, Weikert studied at the Bruckner conservatory in Linz and the Hoch ...

, Andre Presser. Video Artists International (DVD) *Gwyneth Jones in Concert (live concert 23.8.88) VAI DVD. VAI *10,000 Voices: The World Choir and others/Owain Arwel Hughes. EMI *''Le Donne di Puccini'': Münchner Rundfunkorchester/Garcia Navarro. Nightingale *''L'Art du Chant: Les Sopranes'': DVD. Le Coulisses de L'Opera *Wagner, Götterdämmerung (Act 3): Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Georg Solti. Testament Complete opera recordings (commercially released): *''

'' (Böhm/DG(DVD)) *''

'' (Böhm/DG(cd)) *''Leonore (1805)'' (Melles/Orfeo(cd)) *'' Macbeth'' (Kuhn/Sine qua non(cd)) *''

'' (Muti/Bella Voce(cd)) *'' Otello'' (Barbirolli/EMI(cd)) *'' Salome'' (Böhm/DG(cd)) *'' Elektra'' (Tate/Claves(cd)) *''

'' Kleiber/DG(DVD)) *''

'' (Bernstein/Sony(cd)) *''

'' (Doráti/Decca(cd)) *''

'' (Krips/RCA Victor(cd)) *''

'' (Böhm/DG(cd)) *''

'' (Kubelík/DG(cd)) *''

'' (Davis/DG(DVD)) *''

'' (Kout/ArtHaus(DVD)) *''

'' (Boulez/DG(DVD), Philips(cd)) *''

'' (Solti/Decca(cd)) *''

'' (Boulez/DG(cd)) *'' Notre Dame'' (Perick/Capriccio(cd)) *'' Hänsel und Gretel'' (Davis/Philips(cd)) *''

'' (Viotti/Sine qua non(cd)) *'' Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny'' (Russell Davies/ArtHaus(DVD)) *''

'' (Gardelli/Decca(cd)) *'' Alice in Wonderland'' (Nagano/Medici Arts(DVD)) *'' Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (Böhm/Orfeo(cd)) *''

'' (Giulini/Royal Opera House Heritage Series(cd))

References

Further reading * Liese, Kirsten, ''Wagnerian Heroines. A Century Of Great Isoldes and Brünnhildes'', English translation: Charles Scribner, Edition Karo, Berlin, 2013.

External links

Gwyneth Jones biography from BBC WalesOfficial website of the Wagner Society of Great Britain
15 June 1985
Brunhilde (YouTube)Recordings of rehearsals with Gwyneth Jones
in the online-archive of the

Österreichische Mediathek The Österreichische Mediathek ("Austrian Mediathek") is the Austrian archive for sound recordings and videos on cultural and contemporary history. It was founded in 1960 as Österreichische Phonothek (Austrian Phonothek) by the Ministry of Educat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Gwyneth 1936 births Living people Accademia Musicale Chigiana alumni Alumni of the Royal College of Music Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Singers awarded knighthoods Grammy Award winners Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music People from Pontypool Welsh operatic sopranos Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Österreichischer Kammersänger 20th-century Welsh women opera singers