Gwyneth Jones (soprano) - Maturity

Maturity

Dame Gwyneth's large-scaled, powerful dramatic soprano voice, unusually robust vocal stamina, stage presence and acting abilities were widely admired, although she also faced criticism for the wobble that her voice developed in the 1970s and which afflicted some of her performances. Nonetheless, she could still be remarkably secure and tonally rock steady beyond the age of 60. One of her most noted achievements was her interpretation of Brünnhilde in the Bayreuth centennial production of Der Ring des Nibelungen under Pierre Boulez and directed by Patrice Chéreau, a performance preserved on both video and audio discs. The recording won a Grammy in 1983.

Her career at Bayreuth Festival is as below:

• 1966 : Sieglinde in Die Walküre
• 1968 : Eva as Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
• 1969 : Senta in Der fliegende Holländer, Kundry in Parsifal
• 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 & Venus in Tannhäuser, Sieglinde in Die Walküre
• 1973 : Elisabeth & Venus in Tannhäuser, Sieglinde in Die Walküre
• 1974 : Elisabeth & Venus in Tannhäuser, Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung
• 1975 : Brünnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle
• 1976 : Brünnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle
• 1977 : Brünnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle, Elisabeth & 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 as well as Isolde (in Tristan und Isolde), the Dyer's Wife (in Die Frau ohne Schatten) and Turandot. 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), Hanna Glawari (in The Merry Widow) and Norma. Starting from the 1990s, other than the aforementioned parts, she went on to sing Widow Begbick (Mahagonny), Ortrud (in Lohengrin), the Woman in Arnold Schoenberg's Erwartung, the Kostelnicka (in Jenůfa), the Kabanicha (in Káťa Kabanová), the Woman in Poulenc's La voix humaine, Ruth (in The Pirates of Penzance), Gertrud (in Hänsel und Gretel), Herodias (in Salome) and Klytemnästra (in Elektra).

Dame Gwyneth made roles that exemplify the Wagnerian/heavy dramatic soprano fach, 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's production of Tannhäuser at the Bayreuth Festival in the 1970s, and has also been credited with the unique 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, in which she played the first Isolde, Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld. She has also devised for herself a couple of one-woman music-theatrical shows - O, Malvina! and Die Frau im Schatten - which are inspired by real historical characters, namely, Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Pauline de Ahna (wife of Richard Strauss). The soprano part in the Symphony No. 9, titled "Vision of Eternity", of Welsh composer Alun Hoddinott was written for, and premiered by, her.