Aided by a soprano voice that combined power with emotional appeal and an acting ability rare in singers, Margaret Curphey became one of the leading operatic stars of her generation.
She impressed when singing the part of Eva in Sir Reginald Goodall’s pioneering English translation of Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger, which received its premiere at Sadler’s Wells in 1969. Further success followed playing Sieglinde, Gutrune and Brunnhilde in Goodall’s Ring Cycle. Played out against a futuristic landscape designed by Ralph Kotai (obituary, December 17, 2018), it remains a landmark in British operatic history.
Born in Douglas, Isle of Man, in 1938, Susan Margaret Curphey, always known as Margaret, was the eldest of four daughters of William Curphey, a harbour policeman, and