From secretary to superstar: the new issue charts Joan’s early years and her inspiring rise to fame.

The February issue of Limelight hits newstands today and is available from our online store with free postage! When Dame Joan Sutherland passed away in 2010, Limelight presented the most comprehensive tribute made in the international press. Now, we shed light on Joan’s early years, unearthing opera’s greatest untold story. From secretary to superstar: we explore the transformation of “Joan from Woollahra” into opera’s greatest heroine, from her struggles with weight to overcoming family tragedy and discovering her true voice after being led down the wrong path.

From the early years of Joan Sutherland to Schubert’s last year – a remarkable creative outpouring that took place even as the prolific young composer was suffering the excruciating advanced symptoms of syphilis. Pianist Imogen Cooper is among those spilling the beans on the last, but most remarkable, year of Schubert’s life.

Delving into oriental exoticism, we pay homage to the orchestral splendour of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Next, we visit legendary Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi, who awakens Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty.

All this and more in the February issue of Limelight, out now.

Joan Sutherland:...