{{Short description|English operatic soprano}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} '''Susan Gritton''' (born 31 August 1965) is an English operatic soprano. She was the 1994 winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award<ref name="GOGritton"/> and has sung leading roles in a wide-ranging repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Britten, Janáček and Strauss.
==Life and career== Gritton was born in Reigate, Surrey. She was educated at the University of Oxford and the University of London, where she studied Botany.<ref name="GramoSenses">The battle of the senses: Susan Gritton branches out with Britten and Fanny Mendelssohn (Interview with Roger Nichols). ''Gramophone'', February 2000, p17.</ref> She sang with the Clerkes of Oxenford, Monteverdi Choir and Hanover Band Chorus.<ref name="GramoSenses"/> Early on she was inspired by the singing of Lucia Popp on the ''Cunning Little Vixen'' recording conducted by Charles Mackerras.<ref name="GramoSenses"/>
On the operatic stage, her roles include Ellen Orford in ''Peter Grimes'' (La Scala, Sydney and Tokyo); Blanche in ''Dialogues des Carmélites'' (Bayerische Staatsoper); Countess Madeleine in ''Capriccio'' and Tatyana in ''Eugene Onegin'' (Grange Park); Micaela in ''Carmen'' and Liù in ''Turandot'' (Covent Garden);<ref name="ROHGritton"/> Donna Anna in ''Don Giovanni'' (Bolshoi, Opéra de Montreal and Scottish Opera); Elettra in ''Idomeneo'' (Netherlands Opera) and Konstanze in ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'' (Deutsche Staatsoper and Bayerische Staatsoper). Title roles include Theodora (Glyndebourne),<ref name="GOGritton">[https://www.glyndebourne.com/persons/susan-gritton/ Glyndebourne Archive - Susan Gritton] accessed 16 December 2024.</ref> Rodelinda (Bayerische Staatsoper), The Bartered Bride (Covent Garden), and The Cunning Little Vixen (ENO).
On the concert platform her work spans many periods and styles and includes Ravel's ''Shéhérazade'' (RLPO/Mackerras); Brahms' ''Ein Deutsches Requiem'' (Berlin Philharmonic/Rattle & Philharmonia/von Dohnànyi); Berg's ''Bruchstücke aus Wozzeck'' (Swedish Radio Orchestra/Harding) and Honegger's ''Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' (Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia/Pappano). Other highlights include Handel's ''Messiah'' (ROH Orchestra/Pappano); Elgar's ''The Kingdom'' (LSO/Elder); Shostakovich's ''Blok Romances'' (Nash Ensemble); Schumann's ''Das Paradies und die Peri'' at the Edinburgh Festival (SCO/Norrington) and in Vienna (Vienna Philharmonic/Rattle) and Britten's ''Les Illuminations'' – including the world premiere of Britten's three additional Rimbaud settings (BBCSSO/Brabbins). A Grammy nominated artist, she has recorded prolifically for Chandos, Hyperion, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Decca, Philips and Collins Classics among others.
Gritton had no formal "British college or conservatoire training".<ref name="GramoSenses"/> She is married to the opera director Stephen Medcalf.<ref name="OM">Allison, John (June 2013) "Stephen Medcalf". ''Opera'', Vol 64, No. 6, pp. 696–702.</ref>
==Roles==
{{Div col}} *Barbarina in Mozart's ''The Marriage of Figaro'' at Glyndebourne Festival Opera<ref name="GOGritton"/> *Blanche in Poulenc's ''Dialogues des Carmélites'' at Bayerische Staatsoper *Cleopatra in Handel's ''Giulio Cesare'' at Bayerische Staatsoper *Contessa in Mozart's ''The Marriage of Figaro'' at English National Opera *Donna Anna in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' at Bolshoi, Opera de Montreal, Scottish Opera *Ellen Orford in Britten's ''Peter Grimes'' at La Scala, Sydney, Tokyo *Elettra in Mozart's ''Idomeneo'' at Netherlands Opera *Female Chorus in Britten's ''The Rape of Lucretia'' at Snape Maltings *Fiordiligi in Mozart's ''Così fan tutte'' at Mostly Mozart Festival, English National Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper *Governess in Britten's ''The Turn of the Screw'' at Snape Maltings *Konstanze in Mozart's ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'' at Berlin State Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper *Liù in Puccini's ''Turandot'' at the Royal Opera House<ref name="ROHGritton">[https://www.rohcollections.org.uk/SearchResults.aspx?searchtype=performance&page=0&person=susan%20gritton Search for Susan Gritton in the Royal Opera House database] accessed 16 December 2024.</ref> *Madeleine in Richard Strauss's ''Capriccio'' at Grange Park Opera *Marenka in Smetana's ''The Bartered Bride'' at the Royal Opera House<ref name="ROHGritton"/> *Marzelline in Beethoven's ''Fidelio'' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma *Micaela in Bizet's ''Carmen'' at the Royal Opera House<ref name="ROHGritton"/> *Pamina in Mozart's ''The Magic Flute'' at English National Opera *Rodelinda in Handel's ''Rodelinda'' at Bayerische Staatsoper *Romilda in Handel's ''Xerxes'' at Bayerische Staatsoper *Theodora in Handel's ''Theodora'' at Glyndebourne Festival Opera<ref name="GOGritton"/> *Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin'' at Grange Park Opera *Tytania in Britten's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' at Teatro la Fenice *Vitellia in Mozart's ''La clemenza di Tito'' at Bayerische Staatsoper *Vixen in Janáček's ''The Cunning Little Vixen'' at English National Opera *Miss Wordsworth in Britten's ''Albert Herring'' at Glyndebourne Festival Opera<ref name="GOGritton"/>
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==Discography==
{{Div col}} *Beethoven ''Ah perfido!'' London Chamber Orchestra, Christopher Warren-Green (Signum) *Beethoven ''9th Symphony'' BBC National Orchestra of Wales, François-Xavier Roth (BBC Music Magazine Vol. 16 No. 7) *Beethoven ''Vestas Feuer'' Sir Andrew Davis (Deutsche Grammophon, Beethoven Edition Vol. 3) *Berlioz ''Béatrice et Bénédict'' (Hero) London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis (LSO LIVE) *Brahms ''Ein Deutsches Requiem'' Choir of King's College Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury (EMI) *Brian ''Gothic Symphony'' BBC National Orchestra of Wales, etc. Martyn Brabbins (Hyperion) *Britten ''Albert Herring'' (Miss Wordsworth) Northern Sinfonia, Stuart Bedford (Naxos) *Britten ''Les Illuminations'' BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (Chandos *Britten ''Paul Bunyan'' (Tiny) Royal Opera House Chorus & Orchestra, Richard Hickox (Chandos)<ref name="GramoSenses"/> *''Britten's Purcell Realizations'' Graham Johnson, piano (Hyperion) *Britten ''The Poet's Echo'' Iain Burnside, piano (Signum) *Britten ''Sechs Hölderlin-Fragmente'' Iain Burnside, piano (Signum) *Elgar etc. ''Her Song'' BBC Concert Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (Dutton) *Elgar ''The Spirit of England'' BBC Symphony Orchestra, David Lloyd Jones (Dutton) *Finzi ''Dies natalis'' BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (Chandos) *Gluck ''Paride ed Elena'' (Elena) Gabrielli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh (Deutsche Grammophon) *Górecki ''Symphony No. 3'' Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Simonov (Regis) *Handel ''L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato'' The King's Consort, Robert King (Hyperion) *Handel ''The Choice of Hercules'' (Pleasure) The King's Consort, Robert King (Hyperion) *Handel ''Deborah'' (Jael) The King's Consort, Robert King (Hyperion)<ref name="GramoSenses"/> *Handel ''Israel in Egypt'' King's College Choir, Stephen Cleobury (Decca) *Handel ''Messiah'' Gabrielli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh (Deustsche Grammophon) *Handel ''Messiah'' LSO, Sir Colin Davis (LSO Live) *Handel ''Messiah'' Ensemble Matheus, Jean-Christophe Spinosi (DVD, Unitel Classic) *Handel ''Occasional Oratorio'' The King's Consort, Robert King (Hyperion) *Handel ''Saul'' (Merab) Gabrielli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh (Deustsche Grammophon) *Handel ''Solomon'' (Queen of Sheba) Gabrielli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh (Deustsche Grammophon)<ref name="GramoSenses"/> *Handel ''Solomon'' (Solomon's Queen, First Harlot) Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus, Daniel Reuss (Harmonia Mundi) *Handel ''Theodora'' (Theodora) Gabrielli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh (Deutsche Grammophon) *Toivo Kuula ''Orchestral Songs'' BBC Concert Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (Dutton Epoch) *Medtner ''Goethe Lieder'' Geoffrey Tozer, piano (Chandos) *Fanny Mendelssohn ''Lieder'' Eugene Asti, piano (Hyperion)<ref name="GramoSenses"/> *Felix Mendelssohn ''Paulus'' BBC National Orchestra, Richard Hickox (Chandos) *Mozart ''Exsultate, jubilate'' St John's Sinfonia, Andrew Nethsingha (Chandos) *Mozart ''Porgi amor'', ''Dove sono'' London Chamber Orchestra, Christopher Warren-Green (Signum) *Mozart ''Requiem'' Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (Linn) *Mozart ''Ruhe sanft, meine holdes Leben'' Classical Opera Company, Ian Page (Sony) *Poulenc ''Dialogues des Carmelites'' (Blanche) Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Kent Nagano (DVD, Bel Air Classics *Poulenc ''Gloria'' Polyphony, Britten Sinfonia, Stephen Layton (Hyperion) *Schubert ''Mass in E flat major'' (D 950) Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox (Chandos) *Smetana ''The Bartered Bride'' (Marenka) Philarmonia, Sir Charles Mackerras (Chandos) *Shostakovich ''Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok'' Florestan Trio (Hyperion) *Verdi ''Falstaff'' (Nanetta) English National Opera Orchestra, Paul Daniel (Chandos) *Vaughan Williams ''A Sea Symphony'' LSO, Richard Hickox (Chandos) *Vaughan Williams ''Sir John in Love'' (Anne Page) Northern Sinfonia, Richard Hickox (Chandos) *Vivaldi ''Ottone in Villa'' (Cleonilla) Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox (Hyperion)
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==Prizes and awards== *1994 Kathleen Ferrier Award *2003 International Handel Recording Prize for Handel's ''The Choice of Hercules'' *2003 Gramophone Award for Johann Nepomuk Hummel, ''Masses''
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.askonasholt.co.uk/artists/singers/soprano/susan-gritton Susan Gritton] at Askonas Holt Artists Management {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821062813/http://www.askonasholt.co.uk/artists/singers/soprano/susan-gritton |date=21 August 2011 }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gritton, Susan}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:English operatic sopranos Category:People from Reigate Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford Category:20th-century English women opera singers Category:21st-century British women opera singers Category:Musicians from Surrey