Amanda Holden (writer)

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This article is about the writer. For the actress, see Amanda Holden.

Amanda Juliet Holden (born 19 January 1948)[1] is a British musician, librettist and translator.

Education[]

Holden is the daughter of Sir Brian Warren and Dame Josephine Barnes, DBE. She was educated as Benenden School, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (where she gained a Master of Arts), Guildhall School of Music and Drama and American University, Washington (MA). She also has degrees from the Royal Academy of Music (ARCM and LRAM).[1]

Librettist[]

She translated the libretto of Don Giovanni for Jonathan Miller in 1985.[2] Her librettos include Bliss, for Brett Dean and The Silver Tassie, for which she was joint winner, with composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, of the Outstanding Achievement in Opera Laurence Olivier Award in 2001.[1][2] She made a "highly acclaimed translation" of Puccini's Madama Butterfly for David Freeman's production at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011.[3] Holden prepared the "deft" narration for a concert performance of the opera Der Freischütz presented by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, London, in April 2012.[4]

Publications[]

Holden's publications include contributions to The Mozart Compendium in 1990, the in 2001 and the in 2005.[1] James Oestreich, writing in The New York Times, described the New Penguin Opera Guide as a "valuable source" and "most impressive", though he would have liked the index to cover performers, places and events – rather than just the composers and librettists.[5]

Many of her opera translations are commissioned by the English National Opera.[6] The Age compared Holden's partnership with composer Brett Dean in "long-distance collaboration" to "the great composer-librettist partnerships" of "Mozart and da Ponte, or Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal" who "did not have email or jet planes".[7] Critic Bernard Holland, writing in The New York Times about H. K. Gruber's Gloria: A Pigtale, thought it heavy-handed but "rescued by Amanda Holden's clever English version".[8]

Broadcasting[]

Holden has appeared on Deutsche Welle's Inspired Minds talking about her work on opera libretti.[9]

Personal life[]

She married Anthony Holden in 1971. They have three sons and divorced in 1988.[1]

Bibliography[]

  • Amanda Holden. (Editor) The Penguin Concise Guide to Opera. Penguin, reprinted 2005.
  • Amanda Holden. (Editor) The New Penguin Opera Guide. Penguin 2001. (Reprinted in paperback 2003)
  • Amanda Holden. (Editor) The Penguin Opera Guide. Penguin 1995. (Reprinted in paperback 1997)
  • Amanda Holden, Nicholas Kenyon and Stephen Walsh. (Editors) The Viking Opera Guide. (with CD-ROM) 1993.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Who's Who (UK) 2012
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Amanda Holden – Opera Australia". opera-australia.org.au.
  3. ^ "About the Hall". Royal Albert Hall. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  4. ^ Shirley, Hugo (20 April 2012). "Der Freischütz, LSO, Barbican". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  5. ^ Oestreich, James R. (1 September 2002). "High Notes: Covering Opera, if not its world". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Penguin Books". Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  7. ^ Shmith, Michael (11 May 2009). "Opera as bliss and hell". The Age. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  8. ^ Holland, Bernard (29 July 2002). "Critic's Notebook; Mining Music in Breathtaking Mountains". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  9. ^ "Opera Librettist Amanda Holden". Deutsche Welle. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2012.

External links[]

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