125:, Barlow particularly excelled in portraying Strauss and Wagnerian heroines. The 5-foot-11-inch-tall "platinum-blonde beauty" was ideal for playing the "Wagnerian blondes": roles like Elsa, Eva, Sieglinde, and Elisabeth. Although she worked most often in the German repertoire, Barlow also sang roles from the Italian, French, and Czech repertories. While her performance credits included leading roles at most of the world's major
463:, Porter noted that "there is not much sensuous allure in Barlow's firm, strong tone, and no trace of dainty charm in her heroic manner. Yet I feel that I could go to hear her even in so apparently inappropriate a role as Verdi's Violetta or Puccini's Mimi with the assurance that nothing would be fudged or shirked. She drew long, clear lines. She plainly knew the meaning of everything she sang, and how to express it."
203:
and was broadcast live on German television. That performance was recently released on DVD in
January 2009 in a boxed collection with several other operas directed by Felsenstein at the Komische Oper between 1956 and 1976. She sang several more leading roles with the company during the 1966–1967
458:
wrote that Barlow "has a secure, powerful, and well-schooled soprano. She is the kind of honest, solidly reliable singer, definite in intention and definite about the actual notes, that is becoming increasingly rare." After comparing her versatility to that of soprano
292:
stated that, "To New York audiences who have seen almost nothing for 15 years except Birgit
Nilsson's cool, ruminative portrayal, Barlow's sexy Isolde came as a pleasant shock." She had made her Met debut three years earlier as Leonore in
129:, she never achieved a high level of international fame. She did not participate in any commercial audio recordings, although her voice is preserved on a few television and radio broadcasts made in Germany, Canada, and the United States.
149:
in 1954. Although critics were enthusiastic, she was unable to attract the interest of major opera companies in the United States. She did however, sing with
Giuseppina La Puma's highly respected amateur company, The Mascagni Opera.
33:
271:
and was highly received. After this point Isolde became one of Barlow's signature parts and she repeated the role in over thirty
European performances over the next six years. Barlow's first major success at the
804:
137:
Born Alma Claire
Williams, Barlow worked as a secretary, salesperson, receptionist and model before pursuing an opera career. She took the stage name "Klara Barlow" from a suggestion by a
659:, where she taught through 2002. Although her performance career slowed down when she began teaching, Barlow continued to appear in operas into the mid-1990s. She notably portrayed
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to pursue further studies in opera and it was there that she was directed into the dramatic repertory. She finally made her professional opera debut as Venus in
141:
who told her that it would suit her better professionally. She studied voice under Cecile
Jacobson in New York City and made her professional recital debut as a
311:
as Don
Pizarro, later followed by performances of Donna Anna that year. Barlow returned to the Met several more times during the 1970s, singing Marina in
347:
During the 1970s and 1980s Barlow maintained an active career working as a freelance artist with companies throughout the world. She sang Freia in
849:"Tenor Sergej Larin dies at fifty-one; tenors Giuliano Ciannella and Pier Miranda Ferraro; soprano Klara Barlow; concert singer Margaret Truman"
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as
Elektra, getting a call to fill in for a sick artist just 17 hours before the curtain went up. In 1974 she made her debut at
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770:
507:
431:
153:
By 1961, twice divorced and with a nine-year-old daughter to support, she decided to try her luck in Europe. She moved to
495:
637:
Barlow's last opera season as a full-time performer was the 1985–1986 season where she sang
Elektra and Leonore at the
584:
380:
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in Kiel, a performance which didn't put her on the map but it did lead to an engagement to sing the part at the 1968
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329:(1975). She last sang with the Met as one of the denizens in the company's first-season run of
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from 1969 to 1970. Her major successes at these houses were portraying heroines from operas by
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wrote a feature article on her performance, proclaiming it "the performance of her life".
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singer who had an active international career from the mid-1960s to the 1990s. A
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from 1970 to 1972. She returned to
Seattle in 1976 to portray BrĂĽnnhilde in
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as Tristan. The Spoletto production was directed and conducted by composer
204:
season to great success. Barlow next worked as a principal soprano at the
32:
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Barlow's first major success came in 1966 when she made her debut at the
548:
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in 1963 where she sang for two seasons. In 1965 she joined the
117:– January 20, 2008 in New York City, New York) was an American
918:"Review/Music; The Struggles Of a Black Leader In Old America"
280:' Tristan in 1974; a performance broadcast live on the radio.
651:. In 1987 she took a job as a member of the voice faculty at
171:
in 1962. She joined the roster of principal sopranos at the
438:(what would later become "Komm, Hoffnung" from the revised
397:
in the title role. That same year she sang Donna Anna to
510:(1981). Other companies on Barlow's résumé included the
430:
In 1975 Barlow gave a lauded recital at New York City's
805:
Biography of Klara Barlow at operissimo.com (in German)
546:. Some of her other opera roles included Abigaille in
379:
in 1981. In 1972 she sang the role of Mathilde in the
96:
88:
73:
61:
39:
23:
888:"Opera Orchestra of New York performance archives"
249:In 1967 Barlow sang her first Isolde in Wagner's
405:. In 1973 she made an unexpected debut at the
224:. She made her first opera appearances in the
8:
630:. She also recorded the role of Salome for
466:Barlow also portrayed leading roles at the
31:
20:
976:Classical musicians from New York (state)
971:20th-century American women opera singers
857:. Vol. 72, no. 10. April 2008
843:
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401:'s Don Giovanni for her debut with the
179:where she sang regularly for one year.
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336:Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
228:in 1969 as the title role in Verdi's
7:
827:San Diego Opera Performance Archives
323:(1975-1976), and the title role in
747:. January 28, 1974. Archived from
208:from 1967 to 1969 and then at the
206:Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden
100:5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
14:
199:. The production was directed by
403:Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company
375:, a role she also sang with the
1:
508:Opera Company of Philadelphia
496:Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi
427:with the company that year.
991:21st-century American women
876:Metropolitan Opera Archives
832:September 25, 2015, at the
667:, in the world premiere of
381:Opera Orchestra of New York
363:'s productions of Wagner's
1007:
966:Indiana University faculty
961:American operatic sopranos
488:Teatro Comunale di Bologna
423:, also singing Leonore in
420:The Love for Three Oranges
383:'s concert performance of
303:on February 3, 1971, with
771:"www.belcantosociety.org"
588:, and the title roles in
30:
986:American women academics
739:"Tristan and Cinderella"
442:), the final scene from
641:and The Dyer's Wife in
544:Staatstheater Stuttgart
532:Palacio de Bellas Artes
193:Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
173:Stadttheater Oberhausen
68:New York City, New York
683:New Jersey State Opera
644:Die Frau ohne Schatten
524:Canadian Opera Company
500:Lyric Opera of Chicago
472:Opéra national du Rhin
257:Festival dei Due Mondi
981:Singers from Brooklyn
579:La fanciulla del West
576:, Minnie Falconer in
573:The Tales of Hoffmann
512:Hungarian State Opera
482:(1972 and 1974), the
343:Later life and career
183:First major successes
133:Early life and career
16:American opera singer
661:Helen Pitts Douglass
520:Det Kongelige Teater
468:Deutsche Oper Berlin
407:Bavarian State Opera
320:Un Ballo in Maschera
189:Komische Oper Berlin
44:Alma Claire Williams
751:on November 3, 2012
585:The Flying Dutchman
536:Hamburg State Opera
516:Théâtre du Capitole
492:Teatro Carlo Felice
476:Houston Grand Opera
452:. Andrew Porter of
413:as Fata Morgana in
923:The New York Times
916:(April 16, 1991).
678:Frederick Douglass
665:Frederick Douglass
653:Indiana University
480:Vienna State Opera
317:(1975), Amelia in
283:The New York Times
274:Metropolitan Opera
269:Gian Carlo Menotti
252:Tristan und Isolde
201:Walter Felsenstein
143:coloratura soprano
109:(July 28, 1928 in
706:"Wagner Perfumed"
649:Theater Bielefeld
597:Ariadne auf Naxos
502:(1976-1977), the
385:Gioachino Rossini
353:and Sieglinde in
307:as Florestan and
276:was as Isolde to
191:as Donna Anna in
169:Stadttheater Bern
104:
103:
89:Years active
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894:on April 2, 2015
890:. Archived from
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777:on March 6, 2016
773:. Archived from
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558:, Elisabetta in
506:(1978), and the
504:Cincinnati Opera
415:Sergei Prokofiev
242:as Elizabeth in
210:Opernhaus ZĂĽrich
177:Kiel Opera House
123:dramatic soprano
83:dramatic soprano
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218:Richard Strauss
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714:. July 5, 1968
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663:, the wife of
639:Bremen Theater
632:CBC Television
555:Der FreischĂĽtz
484:Scottish Opera
455:The New Yorker
344:
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309:William Dooley
261:Spoleto, Italy
236:Portland Opera
222:Giuseppe Verdi
214:Richard Wagner
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159:Richard Wagner
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74:Occupation(s)
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51:New York City
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927:. Retrieved
921:
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896:. Retrieved
892:the original
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871:
859:. Retrieved
852:
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779:. Retrieved
775:the original
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753:. Retrieved
749:the original
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716:. Retrieved
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552:, Agathe in
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498:(1974), the
494:(1973), the
490:(1973), the
486:(1973), the
478:(1970), the
474:(1970), the
470:(1970), the
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453:
449:
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429:
424:
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399:Jerome Hines
390:William Tell
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377:Dallas Opera
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197:Don Giovanni
196:
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162:
152:
139:numerologist
136:
127:opera houses
107:Klara Barlow
106:
105:
47:28 July 1928
25:Klara Barlow
18:
956:2008 deaths
951:1928 births
673:Donald Dorr
669:Ulysses Kay
657:Bloomington
582:, Senta in
445:Anna Bolena
356:Die WalkĂĽre
305:Robert Nagy
278:Jon Vickers
238:and at the
155:Switzerland
92:1954 - 1991
945:Categories
854:Opera News
689:References
564:, Elsa in
561:Don Carlos
542:, and the
540:Semperoper
366:Ring Cycle
331:Kurt Weill
244:Tannhäuser
164:Tannhäuser
567:Lohengrin
432:Town Hall
339:in 1979.
295:Beethoven
263:opposite
234:with the
929:June 20,
898:June 21,
861:June 20,
830:Archived
781:June 21,
755:June 20,
718:June 20,
627:Turandot
591:Arabella
411:La Scala
115:New York
55:New York
681:at the
549:Nabucco
450:Elektra
440:Fidelio
436:Leonore
425:Fidelio
326:Elektra
300:Fidelio
167:at the
624:, and
615:Salome
603:JenĹŻfa
538:, the
534:, the
530:, the
522:, the
220:, and
97:Height
80:singer
621:Tosca
609:Norma
393:with
119:opera
78:opera
931:2009
900:2009
863:2009
783:2009
757:2009
744:Time
720:2009
711:Time
671:and
359:for
289:Time
231:Aida
62:Died
40:Born
675:'s
655:in
647:at
417:'s
387:'s
333:'s
297:'s
259:in
195:'s
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920:.
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246:.
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902:.
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785:.
759:.
722:.
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