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A jealous mistress

by
November 2008, no. 306

Dame Joan Hammond: Love and Music by Sara Hardy

Allen & Unwin, $49.95 hb, 328 pp

A jealous mistress

by
November 2008, no. 306

My mother, a fine mezzo soprano, had three all-time favourite singers: Kathleen Ferrier, Maria Callas and our own Joan Hammond. When I was a child, my parents took me to see the famous diva perform Tosca in Melbourne – standing room only at the back of the circle. I remember red velvet, a thrilling voice, my own tired legs and a sense that I was in the presence of greatness. Sara Hardy’s biography of Joan Hammond (1912–96) is a timely publication. The number of people who remember the Australian soprano is dwindling, her fame eclipsed by another Dame Joan (who once, early in her career at Covent Garden, understudied Hammond in Aida).

Dame Joan Hammond: Love and Music

Dame Joan Hammond: Love and Music

by Sara Hardy

Allen & Unwin, $49.95 hb, 328 pp

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