Famed mezzo-soprano Maria Ewing has died at the age of 71. Described by Sir Simon Rattle as “The most gifted singing actress of her generation”, she gained notoriety through her signature roles: Blanche in Poulenc’s Dia- logues des Carmelites, the title roles in Carmen and Salome (in which she took on a fully soprano role) and leading roles in The Barber of Seville and Cosi fan Tutte. Her talent for resisting typecasting was rightly lauded, appearing in highly eclectic repertoire from Purcell to Shostakovich and even operetta in Lehar’s Merry Widow. DA