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Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life

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As the author of a Jussi Bjorling biography that was never published in this country, I empathize with the task that faced Jeannie Williams. How can you make the bare details of a career interesting when you get no cooperation from the subject or his family? Then again, where do you draw the line and decide if a negative anecdote is unfair or probably untrue? Williams' solution was to try to present two sides to every argument, a noble idea that still sometimes did not work. The vindictive Terry McEwen, for instance, who rubbed a lot of artists the wrong way, is not entirely to be trusted in his presentation of Vickers as a man who betrayed friends, and there are likewise many singers who felt the same way about Georg Solti that Vickers did (he was a megalomaniac who purposely drowned singers out with his loud, raucous conducting). Even so, the portrait of Vickers that emerges is probably 80% fair and honest. It's the other 20% that disturbs me.

As someone who spent 22 years of their life being backstage with opera singers, conductors etc., I know that this is not and never has been the "nice" world that outsiders often view it as. It is a cut-throat field in which a few dozen major "names" jockey for position in productions and recordings. It is also a business that eats young singers alive and punishes those whio do not "play ball." In this environment, Jon Vickers' actions make perfect sense to me. He had to fight tooth and nail to 1) carve out a repertoire that he felt psychologically and vocally comfortable with, 2) remain on top despite the fact that he could be bossy, difficult to work with and yet not really popular, and 3) maintain his own artistic integrity in the face of the demands of producers and impresarios. The difficulty he had, for instance, in getting his interpretation of "Die Winterreise" accepted is but one example of how petty and hard-minded critics and booking agents could be towards him. (My own opinion is that his "Winterreise" is very poetic and word-directed, more of a psychological than a strictly "musical" interpretation.) I remember when he sang "Forza del Destino" at the Met: the loud-mouthed opera regulars picked apart his singing during intermissions, stating that even such a secondary tenor as Barry Morell could sing it better. So much for Vickers' acceptance as an artist, even when his was the most fascinating and psychologically probing interpretation of the role ever given (I still recall the pained, strangulated voice with which he sang "Solenne in quest'ora"). Sheer athletic vocalism always seems to be appreciated more than artistic probing.

Williams' book does reveal some personal flaws and weaknesses in this most intense of tenors. But this is only to be expected from a singer who gave so much in each and every performance. Pop critics talk about how rock screamers like Joe Cocker tear out their hearts when they sing, but Cocker has nothing on Vickers. He was animal intensity personified, his craggy voice the voice of Everyman in his struggle to survive a brutal and oftimes unfriendly world.

This is one of the finest biographies of a singer I have ever read. (And I've read a lot.) Jon Vickers was one of the greatest singers of the past 50 years, the supreme Siegmund, Florestan, Tristan, Aeneas and Peter Grimes of his time. (And no slouch as Otello, Canio, Samson and Parsifal, either.) He was a singer with a unique timbre, an iconoclastic temprement, and a burning sense of his artistic mission. Like many great artists, he could sometimes act a little crazy. He was stubborn, short-tempered (he did not suffer fools at all, much less gladly) and on occasion, downright irrational and almost violent. He was also a deeply spiritual man and great artist capable of giving performances of almost transcendant beauty and intensity.

Jeannie Williams gives a comprehensive picture of the great tenor, both his abundant virtues and his manifest warts. The book is well-reasearched and remarkably complete in its account of his career, considering that Vickers refused to participate or cooperate with the author. Vickers' deep Christian beliefs and convictions are treated respectfully and recognized as an integral part of what made him the artist that he was.

The most fascinating chapters are the ones on Vickers' notorious Tannhäuser cancellation in the late 70s (which left both Covent Garden and the Met in the lurch), and on his relationship with the opera "Peter Grimes." As to the former, Vickers maintained that he could not sing Tannhäuser because his religious convictions prevented him from finding any point of connection with the character, and because he found Tannhäuser "revolting." But every single person interviewed for the book, many of them wholly sympathetic to Vickers, believed that the real reason for Vickers' cancellation was because he could not handle the vocal demands of the part. The author allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusion about the incident. As for Peter Grimes, which many consider Vickers' greatest role, Williams affirms that the composer disliked Vickers interpretation intensely and resented Vickers' unilateral (and unauthorized) rewrite of some of the text. (Vickers later claimed that Britten had sanctioned the changes and that they had been made in collaboration with conductor Colin Davis, but according to Williams, they were entirely Vickers' doing.)

This is the very best kind of operatic biography - written by someone who deeply admires the subject but who does not allow that admiration to cloud her judgment or degenerate into fan-like gush. This will no doubt remain the definitive biography of Vickers for quite some time. Highly recommended.

The eight editorial reviews and the readers' reviews of this biography of John Vickers are very accurate and perceptive. This book is indeed required reading for any opera goer who is interested in the inner workings of opera and the anguish and joy that frequently accompany a dedicated singer. I had seen all Mr. Vickers' roles at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as his famed concert at Carnegie Hall in which he made references to John Wayne, and, in general, rambled on with commentary between sets of songs. (Ms. Williams fails to point out that he sang one of the best "Wintersturms" of his career on this afternoon as an encore.) There is no doubt about it: Vickers' Parsifals, Siegmunds, and his two Tristans at the Met were among the highlights in the long history of The Metropolitan Opera House.(My wife and I were at the famed Nilsson "Tristan" on January 30, 1974, and words cannot begin to describe the beauty and intensity of that performance!) But there was a dark, disturbing side to Mr. Vickers that is brought out in the biography, and, I must say, this dark side disturbed me more than it did Ms. Williams. Indeed, it is hard to justify his brutal rudeness and insensitivity throughout his artistic career. Sally Presant, the soprano who sang Emelia in Mr. Vickers' last "Otellos" in South Africa, sums it up succinctly when she remarks that Vickers was guilty of "incredible intolerance under a heart of pure gold." Mr. Vickers' blatant arrogance and egocentricity is shown a few pages later when he disregards all historical documentation from Sir John Tooley about Handel's "Samson" by saying that only he knows how the opera should be staged and sung, and "This is the way it is." I also found Mr. Vickers to be hypocritical. He claims that all his objections are for art's sake, but he is frequently wrong, as evidenced by his arrogance regarding the singing of "Sampson." Moreover, he claims to possess Christian virtues, yet his cruel treatment of such people as Julius Rudel, June Anderson, Carol Vaness, and his friend Roberta Knie is unconscionable to any Christian. If he were truly crusading for justice and honor, why did he not put himself on the line in helping Ms. Knie when she needed it? Mr. Vickers frequently inferred that his egomania was justified by God, but there are many singers who inbue pure Christian virtues who never acted like Vickers. I might mention, in passing, Jerome Hines, Stanford Olsen, Dawn Upshaw, Hans Hotter, Fritz Wunderlich, and Kurt Moll. These singers did not blame everything on someone else and throw childish tantrums at rehearsals. Ms. Williams mentions Mr. Vickers' frequent and blatant cruelty to other artists, all of which is unjustified and hardly worthy of a man who claims to be dedicated to God. He was indeed a great artist, but, as Sir John Tooley remarks near the end of the book in summing up Mr. Vickers' career: He would have been even greater if "his own imagination" could have been "stimulated by others" -- that is, by the many brilliant conductors, directors, and advisors with whom he worked. We can excuse Mr. Vickers' harsh treatment of opera house directors, impressarios, and agents on basis of their unethical behavior; but it is impossible to excuse the cruel treatment of his colleagues throughout his life. I've no doubt that Mr. Vickers' had a heart of gold and that he was a wonderful family man and colleague. However, the darkness and cruelty contaminated these virtues -- a fact that Jeannie Williams brings out in an excellent book that every opera lover should read!

By Anthony Peattie

"The strength of this biography is that it never degenerates into hagiography... Jeannie Williams's book does justice to Jon Vickers by documenting his insights into the roles he sang as equal-handedly as the unnecessary controversies that dotted his career....This biography is one of the best studies of a singer that I have ever read." --Anthony Peattie, BBC Music Magazine, January 2000.

No matter whether or not you like the intrinsic quality of the singer's voice, or that you may look askance at his many idiosyncracies, there is no doubt that Jon Vickers was one of the great singing-actors of the second half of the 20th Century. In this quite impressive biography (the first for Vickers), author Jeannie Williams has set out the illustrious career of Vickers in great detail and clarity. Although Vickers has not collaborated with Williams for the writing of this book, which may account for the presence of a few minor points where the author appears to be not too sure of, it is evident that a lot of meticulous research has been undertaken for the writing of the work. A number of episodes (e.g. the "Tannhauser incident") have been given extensive treatment here. Not only has Williams laid out the views of those who were immediately involved in those controversies, the opinions of friends and colleagues have also been gleaned and revealed without unnecessary embellishments. As such, the book does provide a well-balanced and richly detailed account of Vickers's singing career from the humble beginnings in parishes of his native Canada (where he met with a number of difficulties later on), through his ascent to the pinnacle of the operatic world in which he became the definitive Siegmund, Peter Grimes, Otello and Tristan, to his low-key withdrawal from the stage in the late 80s. Nevertheless, despite all the wealth of details, which are set against the colourful and often cantankerous world of opera, and the fact that Vicker's intergrity and dedication to his art is never in doubt, the singer's emotional character, his behaviour backstage (which has raised a lot of eyebrows) and some of his convictions continue to baffle the reader and, presumably, most people who know him in person. Nevertheless, to be fair, it is almost impossible for any third-party to penetrate the depth of another's psyche and Williams has already tried her best to put on the table all the facts as well as different views so that the reader can make up his own mind as regards Vickers the person as well as the merits of his (and his opponents') arguments. Therefore, while the actual writing is not too stylish, and may sometimes be linguistically a bit bland, this is still an excellent biography of an important singer. The book also contains a selected discography and, above all, an exhaustive chronology of performances which is indispensable for those who need such information. On the whole, the book can be recommended with enthusiasm.

"Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life" is a detailed look at this great tenor's career. I've looked forward to such a book for a long time since Vickers is a great favorite of mine. The work is enormously detailed about Vickers' upbringing, youth and career, and at times almost seems like an "If this is London, it must be Otello" travelogue. This is one of the book's weaknesses, in that it feels more like a listing of performances and incidental happenings than a thorough bio that delves in depth into important events, themes, and motivations. Much of this weakness, such as it is, must be blamed on Vickers' own refusal to cooperate with the author. The book needs a greater breadth of experiences from family, other artists, and Vickers himself, but apparently the tenor warned off many people from speaking on the record. I had another odd feeling before reading too far into this book: The man I have admired for so long as a musical artist was, as depicted in this portrait, mean-spirited, vindictive, quarrelsome, and at times virtually a sociopath when it came to interacting with people. I found my own admiration for the tenor lessening as I read this portrait of a pathetic man with too much ego for his own (and many other people's) good. The fact is, Vickers wasn't "a hero" at all, despite the title of the book and his many heroic stage roles. Again, possibly a rounder "official" bio approach could have tempered this, but it appears that Vickers really was pretty nasty. Nevertheless, it was great to read about an artist whose work I'll treasure. If you're interested in this topic, try to get the somewhat recently published biography of the Swedish tenor Jussi Bjorling, written by his widow and Andrew Farkas. A first-rate job.

Jon Vickers is without question one of the foremost heroic tenors of this century. Nearly every character he has portrayed, from Tristan and Otello to Enee (Troyans) and Don Jose, has set a new standard for characterization and dramatic impact. At the same time, the man himself has remained nearly unknown, save for tales of his monumental willpower and inflexibility. Although this volume still leaves many questions unanswered, it provides readers with a well-written portrait of a man consumed with contradictions. It can be recommended for opera lovers in general, as well as Vickers' fans.

Folks, this man is my hero. As an artist he is near pearless. Anyone who loves great acting can find inspiration if not enjoyment in Opera from seeing or hearing the great singing actors of our history like Callas, Gobbi, and most especially Jon Vickers. Watch his live performance as Peter Grimes under Colin Davis and you will see what I mean.
Now to the subject at hand. Something should be remembered folks when you read the fact that he did not want to cooperate with this journalist from USA Today. He never really wanted full heartedly to be a 'professional singer'. He sang as a hobby why persueing a business career.
He married a lovely women and had five children with her; six mouths to feed. If he fought against overuse of his instrument, lack of quality from fellow singers and directors, and had the courage to insist for higher salaries in this most grueling of businesses, I would say the man had his reasons and one has to wonder how he made it out of this business with any sanity. How can anyone dare to judge a man's behavior when his wife of 38 years is dying from a long battle with cancer?
He says that he gave all his art to the glory of his God and that in it he found his purpose. I would say that if the stress of this self-inflicted goal made him a little difficult to be around or work with, then any of you who feel worthy to analize and judge him need to see if you could perform these works better then he.
How dare this woman not allow him to tell his story as he wishes or even force him to tell it at all. If she has the right to privacy then so does he. And don't give me any stuff about 'the people needing to know everything'. Most folks today cannot tell what is important or not. Critical thinking is the worst thing being inflicted on students and artists in today's society. This retired artist has a constantly growing following. One of the biggest in history. And the man is retired. We have his work documented. It is there for all to see. Let this man tell us his story in his own way and leave him in peace.
Have I read this book about my hero? Yes. It is more revealing than most fans realize. That is what is unfair about this. Provocative? Yes, but at the expence of an already great man by his simplicity that makes him great. View his art but leave his life to himself.

Andrew Porter writes in the April 2000 Gramophone:

"One of the excitements of reading Jeannie Williams's book has been its evocation of so many unforgettable evenings in the theatre, one's responses set ablaze by the fervour with which each phrase was sounded.... This is not an authorised biography; Vickers did not co-operate in the writing of it, says Williams. But she heard him, thrilled to him, talked to him and talked to many who heard him and who worked with him. The facts are here (including a 30-page day-by-day performance history). So is ample appreciation from colleagues, conductors and critics of what made him special....what emerges is a vivid portrait of the most exciting tenor in the second half of the 20th century, in role after role."

Tough critic Peter G. Davis writes in the Jan. 31, 2000 New York magazine: "I'd even go so far as to say that Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life by Jeannie Williams, ranks among the most impressive books I have ever read about an individual singer..... an astute,knowledgeable writer on opera, Williams has not only found plenty of key sources willing to talk but is also free to see her subject whole and make shrewd, fair observations about this paradoxical, often infuriatingly contradictory man."

...If the man himself remains an intriguing enigma, that in no way lessens the achievement of this objectively written, painstakingly researched, immensely readable biography."