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Josephine BarstowEnglish opera singer-soprano
Date of Birth: 27.09.1940
Country:  Great Britain |
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Biography of Josephine Barstow
Josephine Barstow, an English operatic soprano, has earned a reputation as one of the leading performers on the international opera stage. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1995. Barstow has performed in many major opera houses worldwide and collaborated with renowned conductors throughout her long career. Although she possesses an extensive repertoire, she is particularly acclaimed for her interpretations of works by Verdi, Richard Strauss, Puccini, and Janáček.
Early Life and Education
Josephine Barstow was born on September 27, 1940, in Sheffield. She studied at the University of Birmingham. Her professional debut took place in 1964 with the touring company "Opera for All," where she portrayed Mimi in La bohème. She then received a scholarship to train at the London Opera Centre during the 1965-1966 season, where she met her future husband Ande Anderson. Barstow was first married to Terry Hands, a theater director, from 1964 to 1967. After their divorce, she married Anderson and remained with him until his death in 1996.
Operatic Career
In the following season, 1966-1967, Barstow performed as Eurydice in Gluck's Orpheus and Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata with the Sadler's Wells Opera Company. In 1968, she signed a three-year contract with the Welsh National Opera, and in 1969, she made her debut at the Royal Opera, singing one of the nieces in Peter Grimes. She also performed at the Royal Opera as Alice Ford in Falstaff, Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes, Leonore in Fidelio, and the Old Countess in The Queen of Spades. Barstow also participated in the world premieres of two operas by Sir Michael Tippett, The Knot Garden, and The Ice Break.
At Glyndebourne, she portrayed Lady Macbeth, Elettra in Idomeneo, and Leonora. In the English National Opera, Barstow sang Violetta, Emilia Marty in The Makropulos Case, Natasha in the English premiere of War and Peace, as well as leading roles in Salome, Aida, Arabella, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and Der Rosenkavalier. She performed in opera houses in Paris, Munich, Vienna, Bayreuth, Berlin, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, and Australia. In 1986, she embarked on a historic tour of the Soviet Union, where she sang Tosca and Lady Macbeth. She also appeared in the world premiere of Penderecki's Die Schwarze Maske in Salzburg that same year. Herbert von Karajan invited her to perform the title role in Tosca alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Amelia in Ballo in Maschera with Plácido Domingo. Following Karajan's death, Georg Solti took over, ensuring the successful performances.
In October 2011, she once again portrayed the Old Countess in The Queen of Spades with the English opera company "Opera North" from Leeds, with whom she had collaborated extensively in recent years. Barstow has an extensive discography, including CD recordings and full productions on DVD.
