Elizabeth Harwood - Mozart: ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO, Ach ich liebte, 1975

THE SONGBIRD: Elizabeth Harwood (1938 - 1990) was raised in Yorkshire by musical parents -- her mother was a professional soprano, Constance Read, and gave Harwood voice lessons. Harwood studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music and at the age of 21, she won the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship and spent a year in Milan studying with Lina Pagliughi. Her professional debut came as Second Boy in "The Magic Flute" at Glyndebourne in 1960. She became a member of the Sadler's Wells company in 1961 where she sang Manon, Gilda, Rossini's Adele, Konstanze, Countess Rosina, Fiakermilli, and Zerbinetta. After a tour of Australia with Joan Sutherland's company in 1965, Harwood's appearances at the Scottish Opera began with Fiordiligi and continued with Sophie, Lucia, Rosalinde, and Eva (her only Wagner role). At Covent Garden in the 1960s and 1970s she sang Fiakermilli, Gilda, Oscar, Donna Elvira, Norina, Arabella, and Manon. Appearances abroad included Aix-en-Provence (Donna Elvira in 1967, Galatea in 1969); Salzburg (Konstanze and Fiordiligi in 1970, Countess Rosina in 1972); The Met (Fiordiligi in 1975); and La Scala (Konstanze in 1971). Harwood died of cancer at age 52. THE MUSIC: Mozart's opera "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" (which I refer to in its English translation) premiered in Vienna in 1782, with Mozart himself conducting. It is considered the best work of the German "Singspiel" format: an opera with spoken dialogue between musical set pieces instead of musical recitatives. Konstanze was written for one of Vienna's star sopranos, Caterina Cavalieri, and has three solo arias, a long duet, and a few ensembles. Her first aria, the highly florid "Ach, ich liebte," conveys how forlorn she is having been separated from her love, Belmonte.