Battle, Kathleen

KATHLEEN BATTLE

Born: Portsmouth, Ohio, 8 August 1948

Genre: Classical

Best-selling album since 1990: Baroque Duet (1992)

Kathleen Battle emerged from humble beginnings to become a world-renowned opera diva. Once regarded as the most promising lyric soprano in the world, her erratic behavior in the later periods of her career cast a shadow over what she had previously accomplished. However, she continues to attract a large concert and recital audience with her ample classical abilities, and through her performances of spirituals and jazz works.

Battle grew up as the youngest of seven children in Portsmouth, Ohio. Her father was a steel worker who sang in a gospel group and her mother introduced the children to spiritual music through the Methodist Church. Although her extraordinary vocal gift was recognized and developed during her youth, Battle decided to attend the University of Cincinnati to major in mathematics. However, she graduated with a master's degree in music education in 1971 and afterward taught sixth grade in Cincinnati's gritty inner city. She also auditioned for classical singing roles and the heralded conductor, Thomas Schippers, selected Battle to perform Brahms's "Requiem" at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Following excellent reviews, Battle began getting opera roles at the best houses in the world and her career rose fast. She managed a wide range of classical music and was especially noted for her roles in Mozart and Strauss operas. Battle's debut with the New York City Opera came in 1976 and two years later conductor James Levine brought her to the New York Metropolitan Opera where she went on to play numerous leading roles until her abrupt dismissal from the venerated opera institution on February 7, 1994.

As her career progressed the tales of her abusive treatment of fellow cast members, sporadic rehearsal attendance, and unreasonable demands became legendary opera gossip fodder. After her dismissal from the Met, Battle found it difficult to get work in any of the world's major opera houses and her career depreciated to mostly recitals and concerts. She was no longer the critic's darling by any stretch; however, her public audience was larger than ever.

Battle's uniquely high voice is regarded for its striking charisma, pure timbre, and superior technical edge. While not considered strong by opera standards, it is genuine and aided by her acting skills and strong physical presence. Battle's numerous recordings have documented her busy schedule of opera and concert performances and she has released eleven albums since 1991.

Battle recorded the works of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, and other baroque composers in collaboration with trumpet genius Wynton Marsalis in the popular Baroque Duet (1992). The results are spectacular as Marsalis's horn skills perfectly complement Battle's incredible artistry. A documentary film on the recording of this album produced by the Public Broadcasting Channel won her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Classical Program on Television in the USA. Battle followed with a much anticipated crossover album of jazz and spirituals, So Many Stars (1995), in which she recorded with distinguished jazz artists Grover Washington Jr. and Cyrus Chestnut. She continued the crossover with classical guitar virtuoso, Christopher Parkening, in an intimate collection of Christmas and rarely heard folk songs titled Angels' Glory (1996). In 2002 she released Classic Kathleen Battle: A Portrait. This compilation album features some baroque favorites in addition to spiritual and ethnic folk songs that she has enjoyed singing through the years. The album contains four previously unreleased selections including her rendering of Puccini's "Omio bibbino Caro" and Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss."

Battle has been awarded five Grammy Awards and has been the recipient of honorary degrees from six major American colleges. In 1999 Battle was inducted into the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Image Award Hall of Fame for her remarkable achievements as an African-American woman.

Although Battle's perfectionist ways altered her opera career, she remains vastly popular throughout the world for her pure voice and distinctive style.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Kathleen Battle Sings Mozart (Sony, 1990); Baroque Duet (Sony, 1992); Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall (Sony 1992); Bel Canto (Sony, 1993); Kathleen Battle in Concert (Sony, 1995); Battle amd Domingo Live (Sony, 1995); French Opera Arias (Sony, 1996); Angels' Glory (Sony, 1996); Grace (Sony, 1997); Classic Kathleen Battle: A Portrait (Sony, 2002).

donald lowe