Opera great Joan Sutherland dies
Updated
Figures from the opera world are paying tribute to Dame Joan Sutherland, one of the great opera singers of the 20th century, who has died aged 83.
The Australian soprano died at her Swiss home after a long illness.
Known as La Stupenda - the stunning one - for her incredible voice and performances, she was well known in the opera houses of Europe, North America and, of course, her native Australia.
She had been suffering ill health for some time and died at home with her husband, conductor Richard Bonynge, and son Adam at her side.
Leave your tribute to Dame Joan.
In later years she had retired to a Swiss town near Montreux and had made few recent public appearances.
Opera singers and directors from around the world have been praising the prodigious talent and generous spirit of a woman credited with sharing her knowledge with many up and coming young performers.
Former Sydney Opera House chief Norman Gillespie called Sutherland "one of the great operatic icons of the 20th century".
"Extraordinary range, dazzling range, extraordinary accuracy, extraordinary power. There really only was one voice like that, it was the great voice of the century," he said.
Dame Joan came to prominence in the late 1950s and soon earned her nickname after a performance in Italy in 1960.
She performed with many great singers during her career, including Luciano Pavarotti, who described her as having "the voice of the century".
Her most famous role was the lead in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, which she performed 233 times. One performance of the role in 1959 was acknowledged with a 19-minute standing ovation.
The young Joan Sutherland grew up in Sydney. She earned her fare to Britain by singing at local clubs and working as a typist at Sydney University.
Her father, a tone-deaf Scottish immigrant, died when she was six
In 1981 she spoke to the BBC about the influence her mother had had on her career choice.
"I think I learned a great deal at her knee. I used to sit down underneath the piano stool while she practised," Sutherland said.
"She used to practise, although she didn't sing professionally, she still kept up her scales and exercises and vocalese and I learnt so many of these from about the age of three.
"We used to stand around the piano and sing duets and trios and so on.
"I wasn't actually trained by my mother. She said she never taught me, but she was a great singer herself."
Against the advice of her mother, Bonynge encouraged her to sing in lighter, higher roles that better suited her voice.
"I would notice when she wasn't consciously singing, that she was singing quite differently in a very natural way, and to me, a much more beautiful way," Bonynge said.
"The voice at the top just didn't want to stop. It was effortless."
Soon, all the world's top opera houses were calling. She had assumed all the bel canto roles from the most famous operas of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The extent of her repertoire was immense: 54 leading roles from Handel to Mozart and Puccini to Verdi.
A 40-year career ended with final performances at the Sydney Opera House and at Covent Garden in 1990.
She was a Dame of the British Empire, a Companion of the Order of Australia, and was bestowed with one of the rarest of gifts from the Queen: an Order of Merit.
Tributes
Opera director John Copley was one of her many friends and admirers.
"She was very, very straightforward. She was a very nice Australian girl, in the nicest possible way," Copley said.
"We always got on very well, I think, partly because we'd grown up together and I'd seen her develop and we were mates, we were sort of chums.
"And I think that people didn't realise just how hard she actually did work."
New Zealand opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa says Dame Joan was an inspiration to a generation of performers.
"She was a bit like the Pied Piper - we followed her to the top of the hill and hopefully we got there too," Dame Kiri said.
"It's just so sad, but she had a wonderful career. It wasn't as if she didn't complete the career, she gave us so much. It's a huge legacy of what she left behind."
Norman Gillespie says Dame Joan will be remembered as one of the great operatic icons of the 20th century.
"The legacy is there in the recordings. We're so fortunate she made so many, all from Handel up to the romantic period, Donizetti and Bellini," he said.
"She will live on forever with that extraordinary voice.
"She was a great ambassador for Australia, loved and celebrated all around the world - extraordinary voice, extraordinary woman."
Her funeral will be a small family commemoration.
First posted
Comments (75)
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rob1966:
12 Oct 2010 8:14:14am
I am sure that many Opera fans will lament Dame Joan's passing - although speaking for myself, when I heard her sing "Home Sweet Home" at her final performance over the radio, it was only when they back announced the song that I knew what it was (guess I must be a philistine).
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Tom Campbell:
12 Oct 2010 8:33:04am
John Cargher will now be seventh heaven. Imagine the conversations.
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Joan M:
12 Oct 2010 9:18:16am
Yes, John will be in 7th Heaven in his appreciation of her voice but will still be critical of her lack of vocalisation. - small bikkies, I agree so, yes, the conversations will be very interesting.
Vale, Joan, and thanks for all the wonderful vocal memories.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Mark R:
12 Oct 2010 8:33:48am
La Stupenda will be greatly missed by all lovers of music.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Dame Joan and her husband, Richard Bonynge, when she was the patron of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. A dinner was held at the Hyatt hotel and I was lucky enough to meet La Stupenda and recieve a very large print of Dame Joan in costume from La Traviata, which she and her husband very graciously signed for me.
Dame Joan was and always will be La Stupenda!Agree (0) Alert moderator
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peter of mitcham:
12 Oct 2010 8:37:17am
Goodbye Dame Joan. What an outstanding Australian!!! We will all miss you. Condolences to her family and friends. There are some people that we really just can't afford to lose and I believe Joan Sutherland was indeed one of those.
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flashman23:
12 Oct 2010 8:41:35am
A great performer and, I'm sure, a wonderful woman in all sorts of ways. But I don't recall her ever singing any Australian music - she limited herself to European music of the 18th and 19th centuries instead. Why? I wonder. She could have made an enormous contribution to Australian composition, for the benefit of all.
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Robert:
12 Oct 2010 10:15:16am
Australian parochialism has such a monumentally bad sense of timing! She did, in fact, sing a number of 20th Centruy roles - admittedly not Australian but I can't think of any Australian vocal music that would have acted as a worthy showcase of her voice. But let's not carp about that. She was indeed the voice of the twentieth century. For those of us who had the opportunity to hear her in the flesh, the experience remains unforgettable. We are so lfortunate that she has left us such a huge recording legacy.
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ElizabethR:
12 Oct 2010 12:05:51pm
Because the music of the 18th and 19th century was what suited her voice? Just a suggestion. Can you suggest any Australian vocal music that would have been suitable for her voice and reached an international audience?
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flashman23:
12 Oct 2010 12:40:58pm
Yep, go for Australian parochialism, Robert. But I don't think it's parochial to ask that Australian performers at least investigate the music of Australian composers. It's partly about helping to strengthen the culture from which one comes. And giving a helping hand to fellow musicians. "Buy Australian"! As for timing, when is the right time? In a week? A month? There's never a good time to make a plea on behalf of culture in this country.
ElizabethR: yes, the music of the 18th and 19th centuries did indeed suit her voice. But so does much contemporary lieder. And works like Ross Edwards' Symphony No.2, written for Yvonne Kenny (being performed next month by soprano Greta Bradman and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra). Ms Sutherland might have commissioned a composer or two to write something suitable. Not all new music is weirdo nuts-and-bolts stuff. Lyricism ain't dead yet.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Aidel:
12 Oct 2010 8:42:56am
Dame Joan used to come to the hair salon my late mother owned whenever she was in Sydney. One day she 'flew' in as was her wonderful style in a tizz because her jewelly had not arrived with her and she was sheduled to appear that night.
She spied a dressed head with a faux pearl necklace on it and borrowed it for that night's performance.
The next morning the papers were full of praise for her singing and commented on the 'beautiful pearls' she wore.
Whenever I wear them I tell this story. Today I shall wear them.Agree (1) Alert moderator
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Dennis:
12 Oct 2010 1:11:57pm
I just read your note and was very much touched. She was one of the great sopranos of the post war period and no one can ever take that away from her. It is a lovely tribute that you wear the pearls that she wore.
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seano:
12 Oct 2010 8:43:53am
I had the privilage of meeting Dame Joan when she walked in to the coffee shop I was working in. She was an outstanding person, warm and took the time to talk to me the waiter. Great memories thanks Joan.
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fiona:
12 Oct 2010 8:45:58am
Vale, great lady. I grew up listening to your voice and although I never took up my role in opera, I looked to you as a guiding light.
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Tax Me:
12 Oct 2010 8:52:12am
An amazing singer. An outstanding person. An iconic Australian. The curtain has unfortunately come down. Ciao La Stupenda.
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MoniR:
12 Oct 2010 9:16:53am
Vale Joan Sutherland. So much beauty and music. Rest in peace, amazing life, amazing lady and voice. Thank you and condolences to family at this sad time.
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Joyce Barry:
12 Oct 2010 9:26:23am
I was at a Friends of the Opera function and Joan was standing near me. A photographer asked her if she would pose with me (I wouldn't have dared ask!). She turned to me with a beaming smile and held my hand. The photo takes pride of place on my piano. I'll never forget the beauty of her voice, with its tremendous power enveloping everyone in the Sydney Opera House in its purity. I am so sad at her passing.
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Robert:
12 Oct 2010 9:29:44am
Pure class.
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Cicero:
12 Oct 2010 9:38:51am
BRAVISSIMA !! Joan.
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Veena Devaya:
12 Oct 2010 9:41:30am
Ave Maria. RIP to one of Opera's greats.
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Jay Bee:
12 Oct 2010 9:42:04am
Vale Dame Joan. A wonderful example to singers everywhere, thank goodness for CDs. She was the voice I listened to when pregnant and nauseous, her singing was a fabulous distraction.
Sympathy to her family and other Opera lovers.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Jason Murdoch:
12 Oct 2010 9:43:48am
I remember meeting her once in the Green Room of the Sydney Opera House, when I was a student at the N.S.W. Conservatorium of Music High School. I myself was planning on becoming an opera singer at the time (it never eventuated), and I remember approaching her with some trepidation and asking her for an autograph. I think I also mumbled something about her being one of my major inspirations. She was nothing but gracious in response to my adolescent small talk, and encouraging when I told her of my future plans. And big. She was such a large-framed woman; so imposing to a gangly, awkward sixteen-year old. But I will never forget that brief moment I had with her. She shone. Australia's cultural life would not be as rich as it is today had it not been for her. We'll miss you, Joan. Sleep well.
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kathyg:
12 Oct 2010 9:46:30am
I grew up listening to Dame Joan via my dad's record collection then got to hear her live in Lucrezia Borgia when I was 18 - and many times afterwards. As much as I loved the recordings they were nothing to hearing her live and unplugged - such an ethereal, beautiful, sound that seemed to be everywhere, 'even in your handbag' as one old lady put it. And she somehow produced the sound with ease and grace.
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Andrew:
12 Oct 2010 9:48:21am
The music in Heaven just got even more glorious.
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cristophles:
12 Oct 2010 9:48:42am
Oh gosh I've just heard the news. Vale.
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Susan:
12 Oct 2010 9:49:39am
Vale Dame Joan Sutherland R.I.P. Condolences to Richard, Adam, other family and friends. Dame Joan gave many Australians of her era something to reach for - that they could reach the world stage and yet not trade off their Aussie identity. I hope heaven gave a 20min ovation!
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Heather:
12 Oct 2010 9:54:09am
Spectacular voice, marvellous presence. So special to have seen and heard her.
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Natasha :
12 Oct 2010 9:54:39am
An incredible voice and an incredible woman. Her voice has soothed me and she will be greatly missed but also fondly remembered. Rest in peace, Joan.
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Trevor:
12 Oct 2010 9:54:45am
We're fast running out of these truly great Australians. What a career to celebrate.
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socrates:
12 Oct 2010 9:56:23am
Joan Sutherland went from sitting under her mother's piano stool, where she received her inspiration to sing, to the principal opera stages of the world. One of the truly great Australians.
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steph:
12 Oct 2010 9:57:28am
I remember seeing Dame Joan several times in Gruyere, Switzerland. She usually had some rellies in tow looking for somewhere to have afternoon tea. A lovely lady going about every day things and being normal. No side to Dame Joan.
A great lady with a great voice.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Rudolf Winter:
12 Oct 2010 10:00:04am
Goodbye Joan, thank you for the great music! I will play the "Mad Scene" in your honour all day, it gives me goose bumps every time.
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Ruth R:
12 Oct 2010 10:00:19am
As I type this comment, I am listening, with tears flowing, to Joan singing on Margaret Throsbie's morning program. While she now sings with the angels, her voice lives on through the wonders of technology for all the world to hear and enjoy. Vale Joan and thank you for many hours of pure enchantment !
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Christa Leahmann:
12 Oct 2010 10:00:32am
I am greatly saddened by the news of the passing of my friend, and colleague, Joan, this morning......having had the privilege and pleasure of being her "Cover" (Understudy) when in Australia, I gleaned that she was not only "La Stupenda" on the stage, but also a warm, encouraging, and very funny colleague, off the stage.....(We even shared the same Birthday date - 7th November, and occasionally, when she was in Sydney, wished each other "Happy Birthday" by phone.....There will never be another voice like hers, she was a legend in her own lifetime......I will never forget her.......
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Frances:
12 Oct 2010 10:00:54am
Farewell Dame Joan. So sad to lose such a great lady, but what a wonderful life. She has given joy and pleasure to so many. Vale
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Maria S and family:
12 Oct 2010 10:06:19am
I am so sorry I am so stunned, Joan bless your heart and cotton socks, Richard and Adam we are very sad with you, Joan is in heaven singing with all the hosts of the angels and the Cherubim and the Seraphim, you are up there with Bach Mozart Chopin Beethoven Verdi Puccini Bizet all the composers Pavarotti we miss you already, you are at peace no more pain no more illness you are free from pain, Richard and Adam and family and friends you are in our prayers.
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PhoebetheCat:
12 Oct 2010 10:10:49am
It is with much sadness that I hear of the passing of Dame Joan, her voice was truly remarkable, possessing a unique quality that is unmatched in clarity, beauty, power and range. Acclaimed on the world stage, a prodigious performer and a wonderful personality - she was a rare and exceptional talent. I don't have any personal stories to relate, never saw her perform live or bumped into her at a function but she has touched me just as much as if I had. I was proud that this performer of distinction was an Australian and I have been enthralled by her appearances on CDs, DVDs and live television. We are so lucky that she has left such a copious legacy to thrill, inspire and entertain generations to come. Vale Dame Joan!
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Richard:
12 Oct 2010 10:12:30am
What an huge gap she leaves behind in the world of music. She has been totally inspirational to all who love music.
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Ming:
12 Oct 2010 10:20:16am
And so passes a truly great Australian. Farewell Dame Joan. You will never be forgotten. Deepest sympathy to her family.
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Sue:
12 Oct 2010 10:23:33am
I had the pleasure of being Dame Joan's dresser a few times when she performed in Sydney. One of things she attributed to keeping her magnificent voice in shape was eating Australian ginger. She always had some with her.
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Elaine:
12 Oct 2010 10:24:28am
Dame Joan was indeed a legend - she will always be in our hearts in Australia. I believe that there are a couple of generations of Australians who would not been so interested in Opera had it not been for Dame Joan.
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Juneau:
12 Oct 2010 10:27:37am
I heard Dame Jon sing in the 1970s and she was a superstar. I think it's a shame most Australians these days don't appreciate what a great talent she was or for that matter, how important opera is (or used to be). I fear Michael Jackson's death got better coverage.
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kim Schmidt:
12 Oct 2010 10:36:57am
GOD BLESS you DAME Sutherland we will never know another great voice such as this. The young singers such as Netrepko should listen up! Blessings to the family
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Rosemary Brown:
12 Oct 2010 10:40:05am
The glory of Dame Joan's voice is always with me. As a young poorly educated , poverty stricken woman I heard her singing In Samson and Delilah on black and white ABC TV. The wonder of such vocal beauty remains with me and set me on the path of moving out of cultural and personal poverty.
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Mr Z:
12 Oct 2010 10:40:15am
Vale Dame Joan a great voice and a great Australian.
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socrates:
12 Oct 2010 10:44:04am
And thank you Margaret Throsby for your wonderful tribute program this morning.
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Robert Johnstone:
12 Oct 2010 10:49:46am
Dame Joan has given me so many musical gifts over the years. I remember she was performing for the last time in in Melbourne and I was desperate to hear her - I had never heard her live. I was 18 at the time and just managed to organize my driving licence and the purchase of a car in time to transport myself to the concert!
I was fortunate to meet Joan after the amazing performance - she encouraged me to follow my passions. It was a wonderful night. Thank you Joan.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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anina:
12 Oct 2010 11:02:52am
Marvellous voice, marvellous woman. We would see her occasionally at performances in the Opera House, usually after she had been giving master classes or when her husband was conducting. She would be just sitting quietly in the audience, no fuss, no fanfare, just warmth and dignity. How fortunate we are to have so many recordings of her miraculous voice.
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Alison and Matt:
12 Oct 2010 11:04:59am
Goodbye dear lady! You were partly responsible for getting my husband and I together. You will be sorely missed. What an amazing voice and a great Australian.
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Leonora:
12 Oct 2010 11:09:42am
RIP Joan. One of the greatest singers of our time. Thank you so much for being such an inspiration to me. Deepest condolences to your loved ones, family and friends.
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Glenys:
12 Oct 2010 11:14:26am
Farewell Dame Joan. You will be missed. I for one loved and admired you and your voice for many years and will miss you. Thank goodness for CDs - what a legacy you left us. I also was grateful for Margaret Throsby's tribute program this morning - well deserved. Condolences to Richard , family and friends. May you sleep in peace and true music be with you in heaven.
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S and G Griffin:
12 Oct 2010 11:19:53am
If a Life is Well Lived ... And You have Loved and Been Loved while here on Earth....
Then as a Legacy You Leave More for Others after departing.....
Dame Joan, YOU have fulfilled all of the requirements for your Spirit to be at Peace wherever it now lies.
BRAVO!!Agree (0) Alert moderator
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elizabeth m:
12 Oct 2010 11:22:59am
A sad day. Thank you ABC FM and Margaret Throsby for a morning's full of beautiful musical tributes. I am listening now and while it is sad to know we have lost such a glorious voice we will always be able to remember it through the many recordings. A great woman, generous of spirit.
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Alex:
12 Oct 2010 11:24:53am
I grew up listening to Dame Joan Sutherland's remarkable voice and am truly devastated by the news of her death. What an amazing singer, woman and Australian.
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Blue:
12 Oct 2010 11:27:40am
I've been privileged to see Dame Joan on stage, and listen to her thrilling voice in a live performance.
She will be sadly missed, and fondly remembered by all. I'm off to listen to the flower duet, my all time favourite Dame Joan classic.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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barry:
12 Oct 2010 11:30:53am
To read the criticisms that some of the people below have made on the passing of this great Australian makes one ashamed to be an Australian and goes to the heart of what is wrong with this country. If Dame Joan had been a sportsperson of remotely the same achievement and international celebrity, there would have been universal adulation of ehr career and achievements in the sad event of her passing. It is little wonder that anyone of intelligence or artistic ability feels that they have to get out of Australia in order to be recognised and encouraged and, when they achieve the greatest feats, as Dame Joan did, they get carping and criticism - even (with the most grotesque bad taste) on the day their death is announced. Dame Joan and her international brilliance and achievements are treasured and admired, internationally, and Australians are the poorer for failing to recognise this, without reservation.
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sadiq farris:
12 Oct 2010 11:43:05am
John Sutherland was the greatest Australian Opera Singer ever! John Sutherland was greater than Dame Nellie Melba!
Would there have been A Sydney Opera House constructed in the first place without the fame and greatness of Joan sutherland??Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Sue :
12 Oct 2010 11:44:53am
I fell in love with opera through Joan Sutherland. A friend who adored Joan's voice told me I had to hear her, but as a student on scholarship in the 1970s opera was expensive, so I queued from 3am to get a standing room ticket for the grand amount of $2! The first performance I heard Joan in was Lucrezia Borgia, and from that night I was in love with Joan's voice and with opera. Her voice has a quality that is beyond earthly. It stops me in my tracks whenever I hear it, and that voice can only be Joan's: it is bell-like, but has a dark, tragic quality to it as well. Despite being such a natural, even-tempered and friendly person, she transforms on the stage, with an incredible power to convey through her voice all of the human experiences and emotions: joy, fun, sadness, tragedy, anger, despair. My life as a student revolved almost arounf queuing for performances of Joan, and I even met the friend, a soprano, who sang at our wedding 20 years ago, in the "Joan Sutherland queue", as we, her most devoted of fans, called it. I was second in line at her very last performance of Lucia in Sydney, for a night none of us who were there will ever forget: a beloved voice and a beloved Australian: vale Joan.
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Gary:
12 Oct 2010 11:52:07am
A sad day indeed.
One of the truly great talents has left the room.
At least we still ahve access to all those wonderful recordings and memories.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Esmeralda:
12 Oct 2010 11:53:14am
goodbye and thank-you to Dame Joan. Thanks for the songs and the gracious way you sang them.
Your voice has been in my head and heart since I was a small child and, thankfully, it will remain there for the rest of my life.
Best to Maesto Bonynge, and all of Dame Joan's family. In this difficult time, I hope you can take heart in the fact that this wonderful lady will be remembered by the world not only for her voice, but the generous spirit she had. She was nothing but kind to everyone she ever met.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Maggie:
12 Oct 2010 11:54:23am
Dame Joan, you had a wonderful voice and you will remain forever a great Australian. RIP
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Warren:
12 Oct 2010 11:57:06am
We are diminished as a nation culturally, but enriched by legacy.
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Will Hamilton:
12 Oct 2010 11:59:04am
I had not even heard opera when I heard Dame Joan sing from Lucia di Lammermoor. I went from listening to crying in about ten seconds.
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Frank Page:
12 Oct 2010 12:06:03pm
Salute Dame Joan - the best. Will always remember your wonderful performances at the Palais St Kilda and that final night at the Sydney Opera House. Home Sweet Home. We will miss you but as you wrote to me; "you've got plenty of my recordings to go on with!".
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commuter:
12 Oct 2010 12:06:38pm
I remember getting on the train to the Cross (1980's), sitting down and there was Dame Joan sitting opposite. What a site, a most statuesque and well groomed, bejewelled redhead sitting on a then skanky Sydney train surrounded by Kings Cross types-me included.
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John Allen:
12 Oct 2010 12:09:43pm
Dame Joan's voice was unique...one of a kind. Irreplaceable.
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cesar thomas:
12 Oct 2010 12:30:52pm
Dia de profundo dolor para todos los amantes de la lirica.Quedare eternamente agradecido a esta diva por causarme una extaordinaria impresion al escucharla en lucia cuando tenia 5 aos.Me queda el consuelo de poder contar con videos cds y el recuerdo auditivo.Que descanses en Paz DIVA!!!!
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NNN:
12 Oct 2010 12:41:31pm
La Stupenda you will always be the standard by which other sopranos are measured. I only heard her once live, in one of her unforgettable last performances of Les Huguenots at the Sydney Opera House. It was a special occasion sitting there (and being noticably pregnant) in the presence of a legendary soprano and a very great Australian, she lit up the stage and won our hearts, an inspirational woman and tireless artist who bought so much joy to millions of opera fans. Totally unique!
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Ken Morris:
12 Oct 2010 12:45:29pm
A wonderful soul has left us with hearts full of memories and pride, and an enduring soundtrack of passion and beauty. I am honoured to add my love and gratitude to the grieving voices on this sad day.
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Ruth Holmes:
12 Oct 2010 12:46:09pm
Vale Dame Joan. I feel overwhelmed with sadness and the beauty of your voice that will thankfully live on. Thank you ABC FM for this morning's superb music in tribute and Margaret's interview.
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J.R.N.:
12 Oct 2010 12:46:28pm
What a voice!
Just as Ella Fitzgerald had the sweetest voice in the field of jazz/popular music, Dame Joan's was the sweetest voice in the opera/classical arena, and arguably the best.
She brightened this world with her gift, an awesome bequest to humankind.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Jeannie:
12 Oct 2010 12:59:30pm
RIP you extraordinary woman. Your talent and the joy that it brought to so many of us will live on.
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Bettina:
12 Oct 2010 1:02:58pm
I saw Dame Joan in Lucia De Lammermoor at the Opera House in the 80's. It was my first Opera and I have loved Opera ever since. She was STUPENDOUS. I wept buckets. I clapped so hard at the end my hands hurt. I will never forget it.
RIP magnificent woman.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Anne:
12 Oct 2010 1:17:39pm
I'm leaving this tribute on behalf of my father, who would have certainly done so were he alive today. I remember clearly decades ago being mesmerized by his passing comment that he felt very lucky to be alive at the same time as Joan Sutherland. I didn't know quite what he meant. Now I do. Dame Joan thank you for bringing so much joy to my father and, in doing so, helping to pass on a deep love of great music to his children and now his grandchildren. The one thing my father wanted, and got, when he himself passed away was to have a recording of you singing the now well-known Flower Duet from the opera Lakme by Delibes. No-one else has ever done it better.
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Elvino:
12 Oct 2010 1:23:33pm
If it were not for Joan Sutherland, my love of Opera would never have flourished. She had a great voice, sure. She could act, but there were others equally as good. BUT: She was an Aussie and it made me realise that an Australian could be the best in the world at their chosen profession.
Thanks Joan!Agree (0) Alert moderator
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Gabrielle:
12 Oct 2010 1:31:53pm
How sad to lose such a wonderful person as Joan, not only as a singer, but a dear person. Her wonderful down to earthiness, sense of humour. She was kind enough to open my sculpture exhibition, in which she featured in 1988: wit, humour and graciousness... very sad to lose her , but her song and spirit keep going...
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Vale Dame Joan Sutherland

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Life and Times
- Born November 7, 1926, in Sydney.
- Sent to secretarial college before being allowed to start a singing career.
- Stage debut in Sydney in 1951 before going to London's Royal College of Music.
- Hired by Covent Garden and made British debut as First Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute, October 1952.
- Received a 19-minute standing ovation for one performance of the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959.
- The Italians dubbed her La Stupenda - the stunning one.
- The extent of her repertoire was immense: 54 leading roles from Handel to Mozart and Puccini to Verdi.
- A 40-year career ended with final performances at the Sydney Opera House and at Covent Garden in 1990.
- A Dame of the British Empire, a Companion of the Order of Australia and received an Order of Merit.
- Died in her sleep at her home in Switzerland on October 10, 2010.
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Tributes
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Looking back: Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan's last Australian performance