Gladys Parr Suggest updates
Born Bury, 3 January 1892
Died London, 4 November 1988
English mezzo-soprano.
Gladys Parr studied in London, at the Royal Academy of Music, and joined Carl Rosa in 1915, singing with them on tour.
At Covent Garden, Parr took such roles as Siébel, Nicklausse, Frédéric, and Suzuki. She was quickly promoted to perform the leading roles of the mezzo repertoire. Later she worked with BNOC, Sadler's Wells and with the Covent Garden company, where she was heard during the international seasons as Magdalene (see photo), Annina in Der Rosenkavalier, and the Fortune Teller in Arabella.
After the war Parr sang with the English Opera Group, creating three roles for Britten: Florence Pike in Albert Herring (1947), Mrs Baggott in The Little Sweep (1949), and Mrs Noah in Noye's Fludde (1958).
Recordings
Parr's recordings include a live performance of Albert Herring, and a classic version of the great quintet from Meistersinger in which her colleagues included Elisabeth Schumann and Friedrich Schorr.
Roles in Scotland
- Third Boy
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Zauberflöte 1916
- Maddalena sister of Sparafucile
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Rigoletto 1917
Rigoletto 1922
Rigoletto 1940
Rigoletto 1943
Rigoletto 1944
- Lazarillo a poor apprentice
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Maritana 1917
Maritana 1919
Maritana 1920
Maritana 1922
- Antonia's mother a spirit voice
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Tales of Hoffmann 1919
- Suzuki Cio-Cio-San's servant
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Madam Butterfly 1919
Madam Butterfly 1921
Madam Butterfly 1922
Madam Butterfly 1923
Madam Butterfly 1924
Madam Butterfly 1927
Madam Butterfly 1928
Madam Butterfly 1942
Madam Butterfly 1943
Madam Butterfly 1944
Madam Butterfly 1945
- Siébel a student of Dr Faust, in love with Marguerite
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Faust 1919
Faust 1920
Faust 1921
Faust 1922
Faust 1924
- Frédéric a young nobleman
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Mignon 1919
Mignon 1923
- Nicklausse Hoffmann's friend
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Tales of Hoffmann 1920
Tales of Hoffmann 1921
Tales of Hoffmann 1923
Tales of Hoffmann 1924
Tales of Hoffmann 1945
Tales of Hoffmann 1946
- Azucena a Biscayan gypsy woman
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Trovatore 1920
Trovatore 1921
Trovatore 1922
Trovatore 1923
Trovatore 1924
Trovatore 1928
Trovatore 1940
Trovatore 1942
Trovatore 1943
Trovatore 1944
Trovatore 1945
- Ortrud Friedrich's wife
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Lohengrin 1921
Lohengrin 1924
- Magdalene Eva's nurse
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Mastersingers of Nuremberg 1921
Mastersingers of Nuremberg 1922
Mastersingers of Nuremberg 1923
Mastersingers of Nuremberg 1924
Mastersingers of Nuremberg 1929
Mastersingers of Nuremberg 1932
- Amneris daughter of the King of Egypt
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Aïda 1922
Aïda 1923
Aïda 1924
- Queen of the Gypsies
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Bohemian Girl 1922
Bohemian Girl 1923
- Mignon stolen in childhood
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Mignon 1922
Mignon 1923
- Dalila a Philistine priestess
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Samson and Delilah 1923
Samson and Delilah 1925
- Mamzell Arvidson a fortune-teller (Ulrica)
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Masked Ball 1923
Masked Ball 1924
- Carmen a gypsy
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Carmen 1923
- Cherubino the Count's page
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Nozze di Figaro 1924
- Flosshilde a Rhinemaiden
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Götterdämmerung 1927
- Berta Bartolo's housekeeper
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Barbiere di Siviglia 1927
Barbiere di Siviglia 1928
Barbiere di Siviglia 1929
Barbiere di Siviglia 1930
Barbiere di Siviglia 1940
Barbiere di Siviglia 1942
Barbiere di Siviglia 1945
- Lola Alfio’s wife
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Cavalleria Rusticana 1928
- Marthe a neighbour
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Faust 1929
- Quickly Mistress Quickly, a confidante of Alice and Meg
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Falstaff 1929
- Orlofsky a rich young Russian prince
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Fledermaus 1930
Fledermaus 1940
- Háta Micha's second wife
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Bartered Bride 1931
- Annina Valzacchi's accomplice
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Rosenkavalier 1931
Rosenkavalier 1932
- Marcellina Bartolo's housekeeper
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Nozze di Figaro 1942
Nozze di Figaro 1943
- Mrs Page Frau Reich, wife of Page, Anne's mother
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Lustigen Weiber von Windsor 1943
Lustigen Weiber von Windsor 1944