THE intention behind the opening concert in the Queen's Hall series on Saturday morning had been to celebrate the legacy of Britain's great contralto Kathleen Ferrier through the performance of two recent winners of the Kathleen Ferrier Award, often a springboard for young professionals.
They would perform alongside the great British baritone Sir Thomas Allen and the massively experienced pianist, Roger Vignoles.
It didn't quite go according to plan. One of the two winners, South African baritone Njabulo Madlala, was stricken with a chest infection and withdrew late last week. Whether they considered a replacement I cannot say; but they decided just to tweak the programme a little and run it with last year's winner, the stunning mezzo Kitty Whately, who was in Perth in May, singing in the very funny ETO production of the Barber Of Seville.
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