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Maria Ewing: the singer's best recordings

The late Maria Ewing was known for singing both soprano and mezzo roles throughout her illustrious career. Here, we name the best recordings of Ewing's performances

Maria Ewing poses for a photographer in her costume as Melisande. She performs in the opera Pelleas et Melisande. Composer: Claude Debussy. (Photo by Ira Nowinski/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

Freya Parr

Published: January 11, 2022 at 9:51 am

The best recordings of Maria Ewing

Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande

Vienna Philharmonic/Claudio Abbado DG 435 3442

There is a certain grit to Maria Ewing's representation of Mélisande in this performance, with the character given new meaning through Ewing's interpretation and nuances. She sings the role alongside François Le Roux as Pelléas, whose performance is considered and refined.

4353442

Strauss's Salome

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Edward Downes Opus Arte OAR3108D

Directed by Ewing's husband Peter Hall, it was this production of Salome that first launched the American soprano onto the British stage. She gave one of the most notorious performances of Strauss's infamous 'Dance of the Seven Veils', performing it in the nude. Hall's staging showed Ewing at her most elegant and glamorous.

This film is available to watch on Medici TV.

OAR3108D

Mozart's Requiem

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Bernstein DG 00044007341353

Singing the mezzo-soprano role alongside soprano Marie Mclaughlin here, Ewing balances her tone superbly in this traditional reading of Mozart's Requiem.

This is also available in DVD format, in a TV special directed by Humphrey Burton.

E734135

Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

London Philharmonic Orchestra & Ambrosian Opera Chorus/Mstislav Rostropovich Warner Classics 9668382

Maria Ewing plays the role of Katerina in this historic recording with Galina Vishnevskaya in the title role. Ewing's acting capabilities are on full display here in this hugely expressive performance.

9668382

Freya Parr

Digital Editor and Staff Writer, BBC Music Magazine

Freya Parr is BBC Music Magazine's digital editor and staff writer, editing and writing on all styles of music across both the website and print magazine. She has also written for titles including the Guardian, Circus Journal, Frankie and Suitcase Magazine, and runs The Noiseletter, a fortnightly arts and culture publication. Freya's main areas of interest and research lie in 20th-century and contemporary music. She's a regular sea shanty singer, folk obsessive and occasional flautist, pianist, organist and musical theatre director.
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