Swan Song

A famous soprano performing in London realises that at last she can come face to face with her rival. Passion and revenge, as old scores are settled.

A story which allowed Agatha Christie to indulge in her love of music. Her references to Maria Jeritza suggest Christie may have seen her temperamental performance in Tosca at Covent Garden in 1925; Jeritza sang the aria, ‘Vissi d’arte’, lying on her stomach on the floor. In fact, Agatha Christie was a great pianist and singer herself and often said she would have liked to have become a professional had she not suffered from stage fright.

This story was first published in the book collection The Listerdale Mystery, 1934, in the UK and later appeared in the US collection The Golden Ball and Other Stories. It was dramatised for BBC Radio 4 in 2002.