Richard Bonynge | |
|---|---|
 Tenor Colin Lee, sopranoPretty Yende, Bonynge, mezzo-soprano Violina Anguelov and baritone George Stevens at a concert performance ofLucia di Lammermoor in Cape Town in April 2013 | |
| Born | Richard Alan Bonynge (1930-09-29)29 September 1930 (age 94) Epping, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor, pianist |
| Years active | 1962–present[1] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Richard Alan BonyngeAC, CBE[2] (/ˈbɒnɪŋ/BON-ing) (born 29 September 1930) is an Australianconductor and pianist. He is the widower of Australian dramaticcoloraturasopranoDame Joan Sutherland. Bonynge conducted virtually all of Sutherland's operatic performances from 1962 until her retirement in 1990.
Bonynge was born inEpping, a suburb ofSydney, and educated atSydney Boys' High School before studyingpiano at theSydney Conservatorium of Music and gaining a scholarship to theRoyal College of Music in London, where his piano teacher wasHerbert Fryer.[3][4] He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for singers. One of these was Joan Sutherland, whom he had accompanied in Australia. They married in 1954 and became aduo, performing operaticrecitals until 1962. When the scheduled conductor for a recital of operatic arias became ill and the replacement conductor was involved in a car accident,[5] Bonynge stepped in and, from that time on, he conducted virtually all of his wife's performances.
His debut as an opera conductor took place in 1963 inVancouver, where he conductedFaust. The same year, also in Vancouver, he conductedNorma for the first time, starring Sutherland andMarilyn Horne.[6] He also conducted theEnglish Chamber Orchestra in many recordings.[7]
By doing some research and reading up onMassenet and Italianbel canto composers, Bonynge discovered Massenet's own statement about his operaEsclarmonde being his "best achievement." This filled Bonynge with curiosity, even more becauseEsclarmonde had sunk into almost total oblivion and had hardly been performed at all since the end of the 19th century. He obtained a tatteredvocal score of it in Paris, and subsequently bought the full orchestral score from an auction in New York City. Although Sutherland was initially sceptical aboutEsclarmonde, Bonynge became an enthusiast of the work and eventually convinced her that she should perform the role of Esclarmonde herself. TheSan Francisco Opera and theMetropolitan Opera premieres ofEsclarmonde took place in 1974 and 1976 respectively.[8]
In 1977 he was the founding music director of theVancouver Opera Orchestra,[9] when he conductedLe roi de Lahore staged there (in which his wife also took part).[10]
Bonynge made his Metropolitan Opera debut on 12 December 1966, and his last performance there was on 6 April 1991. Most of those performances he conducted there between 1966 and 1987 were with Sutherland singing. From the 1960s until the early 1970s, his speciality was music of 18th and early 19th century, mostly in bel canto repertoire ofRossini,Bellini andDonizetti. Bonynge then gradually added also middleVerdi (La traviata,Rigoletto,Il trovatore),Offenbach (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), then also Massenet (Esclarmonde andWerther[11]).
Bonynge has recorded extensively in theballet genre:Delibes's three ballets –La Source,Coppélia,Sylvia;Riccardo Drigo'sThe Magic Flute andLe Réveil de Flore;Jacques Offenbach'sLe papillon;Friedrich Burgmüller'sLa Péri; andTchaikovsky's three ballets –Swan Lake,The Sleeping Beauty,The Nutcracker.[12] One of Bonynge's most valuable contributions to ballet music is a 10 CD "Compendium of Ballet Rarities" which have been rarely recorded but are often performed by established ballet companies, such as several famousPas de deux and ballets performed in operas.
His recordings also include some works with no operatic or balletic associations, such as theHarp Concerto in E-flat byReinhold Glière, with harpistOsian Ellis.
Commencing in 2007, he has conducted a series of performances in a few opera houses around the U.S. (Florida Grand Opera,Michigan Opera Theatre), and now is mostly involved with theOpera Australia company (Lucia di Lammermoor in August 2008, and in 2006 forOpera Queensland;I Capuleti e i Montecchi inMelbourne and Sydney in middle of 2009).[13][14]
He lives inLes Avants,Switzerland and maintains a home in Sydney.[1][15] He is regularly involved in the philanthropic activities of theJoan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation, often chairing the panel of judges for their annual Bel Canto Award.[16]
Bonynge was made aCommander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to music in 1977. In 1983, he was madeOfficer of the Order of Australia, and in 1989 aCommandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.[3]
On 26 January 2012, Bonynge was promoted within the Order of Australia to Companion, for "eminent service to the performing arts as an acclaimed conductor and musical scholar, to classical singing and the promotion of opera, and through the collection and preservation of operatic manuscripts."[1][2]
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Amoureuse: Sacred and Profane Arias (withRosamund Illing andAustralian Opera and Ballet Orchestra) | Best Classical Album | Nominated | [17] |
| 2006 | Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky, Grieg (withSimon Tedeschi &The Queensland Orchestra) | Nominated |
TheSir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to music in Australia.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Richard Bonynge | Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award | awarded | [18] |
