Maureen Forrester (Contralto)
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See: Short Biography

Maureen Forrester’s Death

Sandra Bowdler [Handel-L] wrote (June 18, 2010):
Maureen Forrester dies

For those interested, here is an obit:
The Globe and Mail Obituary

For those who don't know, she was kind of Canada's Kathleen Ferrier. She was Cornelia to Beverley Sills's Cleopatra, also Storge, Serse, Bertarido etc.

Yoël L. Arbeitman wrote (June 18, 2010):
Obit of Maureen Forrester

NY Times Obituary

Maureen Forrester has died. As opposed to when Helen Watts died, the NYTIMES actually had a page1 obituary.

Yoël L. Arbeitman [BRML] wrote (June 18, 2010):
Erbarme dich: Maureen Forrester dead

Baltimore Sun Obituary

Many, many obits by googling her name. This one has her Erbarme dich.

Neil Halliday [BRML] wrote (June 19, 2010):
[To Yoël L. Arbeitman] Thanks for this. The self-scolling score is a pleasant surprise, and her voice a delight.

I wonder if she's with Bach now?

[Strange world, that we humans even have to ponder such things].

Yoël L. Arbeitman [BRML] wrote (June 19, 2010):
[To Neil Halliday] The very odd thing I found esp. in the NYTIMES obit is that, for a singer who was renowned for so long, the obit was poorly prepared (at least there was one, Helen Watts was never mentioned). Another thing is she is noted in both the NYTIMES obit and others I have seen primarily for her Mahler. This of course is right but her Bach is forgotten and her part with Hilde Rössl-Majdan and Watts in the Priestman Rodelinda is forgotten.

She did recordings of the Mahler works again and again and, as one would expect some are intriguing, others less so. Many of her finest Mahler recordings (of the song cycles) never have appeared on CD as ditto the Rodelinda to my knowledge. Happily there is LP transfer and up-and-downloading these days.

Teri Noel Towe [BRML] wrote (June 21, 2010):
Maureen Forrester

Yoël L. Arbeitman writes:
< the very odd thing I found esp. in the NYTIMES obit is that, for a singer who was renowned for so long, the obit was poorly prepared (at least there was one, Helen Watts was never mentioned). Another thing is she is noted in both the NYTIMES obit and others I have seen primarily for her Mahler. This of course is right but her Bach is forgotten and her part with Hilde Rössl-Majdan and Watts in the Priestman Rodelinda is forgotten. >
In the New York Times obituary, Anthony Tommasini also made no meiont of the many seasons in which Maureen Forrester was the contralto in the Bach Aria Group, and he neglected to mention that she sang the role of Orfeo in the first recording of the 1761 Vienna version of Gluck's 'Orfeo ed Euridice', conducted by Charles Mackerras and published by Vanguard Bach Guild in the late 1960s.

I had the pleasure of knowing Maureen and saw a fair amount of her in the late '60s and '70s. She was a delightful, down to earth person and a joy to be with.

Yoël L. Arbeitman [BRML] wrote (June 21, 2010):
Teri Noel Towe wrote:
< In the New York Times obituary, Anthony Tommasini also made no meiont of the many seasons in which Maureen Forrester was the contralto in the Bach Aria Group, and he neglected to mention that she sang the role of Orfeo in the first recording of the 1761 Vienna version of Gluck's 'Orfeo ed Euridice', conducted by Charles Mackerras and published by Vanguard Bach Guild in the late 1960s. >
I hate to say this but it seems that the obit writers (not only the NYTIMES) have dementia as the sad years of the late Ms. Forrester were afflicted with
.
Everyone knows that these obits are prepared long in advance. There is no excuse for such merde (pardon my French). I forgot the Orfeo which was one of my first recordings of that work.

Angela Boyd [BRML] wrote (June 23, 2010):
Maureen Forrester – Telegraph

Telegraph Obituary

above is a link to a more informative obituary about the late Maureen Forrester, as a person, musician, and benefactor for the Arts in Canada.

Maureen Forrester: Short Biography | General Discussions