‘Last songs’ for O’Sullivan
Surprisingly, Cara O’Sullivan has never sung Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs at the NCH during an illustrious career, but that will be put right when the soprano guests there with the Hibernian Orchestra on June 10.
The songs were written individually in 1948, just a year before Strauss died, aged 84. The popular title was given posthumously.
Strauss’s wish was that the songs be premiered by legendary Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad, and this took place at the Royal Albert Hall soon after. It had an intriguing side-story, being funded to the tune of $4,800 by the Maharajah of Mysore so the songs could be recorded for his collection of ...
