Despite being Toronto's leading tenor for six years and winning national competitions, Jon Vickers faced harsh criticism from the Toronto establishment, leading him to refuse to perform there for a time.
Performer Biography
Richard Woitach, the pianist on this recording, joined the Metropolitan Opera as a rehearsal pianist in 1959 and later became one of its staff conductors and an associate conductor under James Levine.
Performer Biography
Jon Vickers, the tenor on this album, was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and was the youngest of eight children in a devout, musical, and poor family.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ralph Vaughan Williams, like Hungarian composers Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, believed serious music should have a national voice and be universally accessible, incorporating folk melodies into his work.
Performer Biography
Jon Vickers was encouraged to study formally by Toronto soprano Mary Morrison after they performed together in a Winnipeg production of Naughty Marietta.
Performer Biography
Before pursuing singing professionally, Jon Vickers worked in retail for Safeway and Woolworth's, and later as a purchasing agent for the Hudson's Bay Company.
Recording & Production
This album captures Jon Vickers at the peak of his mature powers, recorded live in 1974 at the Student Union Theatre of the University of Alberta in Edmonton as part of the CBC Alberta Festival of Music.
