The Polish contralto Jadwiga Rappé came to prominence in 1981 when she won first prize at the International Bach Competition at Leipzig.
Since then she has sung opera, oratorio, and song repertory at the great music centers of Europe, and internationally. She has worked with many distinguished conductors, including Haitink, Harnoncourt, Rostropovich, and Sir Colin Davis. A great champion of 20th and 21st century music - especially that of Krzysztof Penderecki - Ms. Rappé also remains true to the such masters as Bach, Wagner, and Mahler. She has given more than 2,000 performances worldwide.
Ms. Rappé sings in a recording of Penderecki's SEVEN GATES OF JERUSALEM, a masterpiece that I am hoping to see revived in my lifetime...
Watch Ms. Rappé in an excerpt from Penderecki's POLISH REQUIEM here...with basso Malcolm Smith, no less!
I first heard the voice of Jadwiga Rappé on a tape of a performance of RHEINGOLD from Covent Garden that an English friend sent me.
Jadwiga Rappé as Erda - RHEINGOLD - Covent Garden 1988
Here are some further samples from Ms. Rappé's vast repertory:
Jadwiga Rappé - Bach ~ Vergnugte Ruh beliebte Seelenlust
Jadwiga Rappé - Karlowicz ~ Before the Eternal Night
Jadwiga Rappé - Lutoslawski ~ The Sea
~ Oberon