Kathleen Ferrier (1912-1953) was only forty-one when she died of breast cancer, but during her short career she achieved both fame and fortune as a contralto singer. Born to a modest family in Blackburn, Lancashire, she seemed set for a mundane career as a telephone exchange operator until her husband inadvertently put her in for a singing competition. Soon after she meet her first vocal teacher, Professor Hutchison (whom she called "Hutchie") for short, and she never looked back. Tours round the north of England soon followed, and she subsequently moved to London. She first established herself as a unique singer of folk-songs, but under the tutelage of Bruno Walter and Sir John Barbirolli, she extended her range to include Mahler, French and German songs. Her Covent Garden debut soon followed. This documentary suffers from a lack of film of Ferrier in performance, but there are some fascinating archive recordings of her performing, as well as Ferrier in her off-duty moments, playing around with her voice while clearly intoxicated. There are plenty of memories of Ferrier from those who sang and worked with her (for example, ex-Covent Garden soprano Adele Leigh), plus insights from Ian Jack and several music critics both past and present. The documentary suggests that, while her life was cruelly cut short, she had a joie de vivre and a common touch that endeared her to everyone. She was a star in all senses of the term.

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About British contralto Kathleen Ferrier, a singer with an extraordinary career and a tragic destiny... Born in 1912, Kathleen Ferrier discovers the potential of her voice relatively late, while she is aged 31. She gains immediate success, as she is supported by some of the greatest artists of her time, such as Herbert von Karajan, John Barbirolli and Bruno Walter. Unfortunately, she quickly developed a malignant tumor, that put a premature end to her unique career. In 1953, at the age of 41, she dies from bone cancer. Includes amateur films in which we can see Kathleen chat and laugh with her friends, and interviews of close relatives or artists of our time (such as Nathalie Stutzmann).

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Kathleen Ferrier

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