Manon Lescaut poster

This poster advertises Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in the title role of Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) when it was staged by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in 1983. The opera is set in the second half of the eighteenth century. Although this role was not a key part of her repertoire, Dame Kiri has observed: 'As a singer, I love the eighteenth century. What soprano wouldn't? I admire the elegance and the grand style of the era' (Te Kanawa 1996: 162).

The poster shows Dame Kiri wearing an eighteenth century court dress made specifically for her by Janice Pullen, Costume Director of the Royal Opera House (1980-92). The dress was displayed at Te Papa in the exhibition Kiri's Dresses: A glimpse into a Diva's wardrobe (2003-04).

The dress has been embellished for the stage with lace, beads and bows. Large decoration is necessary in a huge space such as the Royal Opera House which is known for 'swallowing' detail. The dress helped Dame Kiri realise the physicality of the role, for example she had to move and sit in certain ways to maintain the fullness of the panniered skirt. Steel boning in the bodice helped keep the dress in place. 'It is next to impossible to look ungracious or unfeminine in the hourglass shaped robes of the rococo period, with its pastels of silks and satins, its decolletages, corsets, crinolines, laces and ruffles. A singer cannot possibly slouch ... when her costume of majestic brocade induces her to sweep onto the stage ... I enjoy the fantasy and the illusion of a graceful past' (Te Kanawa 1996: 162).

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

In 1965, at the age of twenty-one, Kiri Te Kanawa won two of Australasia’s most prestigious competitions, the Mobil Song Quest and the Melbourne Sun Aria. By the mid-1960s she had become New Zealand’s most popular lyric soprano, winning audiences through stage and screen performances and recordings of both opera and popular songs.

In 1966 she left New Zealand to study at the London Opera Centre. Within five years she became one of opera’s most promising new stars. Her debut as the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1971, brought her international fame. Three years later, she played an acclaimed Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello at the New York Metropolitan Opera in a last-minute first appearance.

In 1981 came the extraordinary opportunity to sing at the wedding of the Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana Spencer. In recognition of her performance she was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1982.

Dame Kiri is considered one of the greatest sopranos of her generation. She was also successful in singing across musical boundaries which won her huge admiring audiences around the world. After a long and successful career, Dame Kiri announced her retirement in 2017.

References:

Te Kanawa, K. with Wilson, C. (1996). Opera for lovers. Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Ltd.