Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Anthony Rolfe Johnson CBE | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 November 1940 Tackley, Oxfordshire, UK |
| Died | 21 July 2010 (aged 69) London, UK |
| Occupation | Opera singer (tenor) |
| Years active | 1972–2006 |
Anthony Rolfe Johnson .
Early life
Anthony Rolfe Johnson was born in
Career
Rolfe Johnson studied with Ellis Keeler and Vera Rózsa at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He was also tutored by Peter Pears.[2]
He first appeared in opera in the chorus and in small roles at the Glyndebourne Festival between 1972 and 1976. His major operatic debut was in the role of Count Vaudémont in Tchaikovsky's opera Iolanta in 1973 with the English Opera Group. The same year, he held his first professional recital at the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre. In 1975, Rolfe Johnson made his Glyndebourne debut, singing the role of Lensky in Eugene Onegin, for which he won the John Christie Award. In 1978 he made his first appearance with English National Opera, as Tamino in The Magic Flute.[5][6]
In the course of a long and varied career he performed in Handel's oratorios, sang the role of Evangelist in J. S. Bach's St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, and sang solos in Haydn's The Seasons and The Creation. Operas he recorded include Mozart's The Magic Flute, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, Mozart's Idomeneo and La clemenza di Tito, and Britten's Peter Grimes as well as appearing in the latter's War Requiem, amongst many others. Many of these recordings were made under English conductor John Eliot Gardiner, including Berlioz’s l’Enfance du Christ, Monteverdi's Ulysses and Orfeo and Mozart's Idomeneo.[2]
He performed at the world's major opera houses, including the English National Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, La Monnaie in Brussels, La Scala, Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera.[7]
He sang Polixenes in the world premiere of Wintermärchen, Philippe Boesmans' adaptation of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale.[8]
Aside from opera, he appeared in concert with the world's major
He was made a
Personal life
Rolfe Johnson had two sons from his first marriage. After his change of career from farmer to opera singer, he and his first wife divorced. He married again but this second marriage also ended in divorce. He subsequently married Elisabeth Jones Evans, and they had a son and two daughters.[3]
Death
Around the turn of the 21st century, Rolfe Johnson began to suffer from Alzheimer's disease and was forced to retire. On 21 July 2010 he died from complications related to Alzheimer's.[2] Rolfe Johnson was cremated and he is commemorated with a memorial at Golders Green Crematorium in London.[3]
Selected discography
- Haydn: Il mondo della luna (Cecco) - Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Antal Doráti, Philips 1977
- Britten : Les Illuminations - Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner, filmed on 12 August 1983 at the Proms (ICA Classics 5064, issued 2012)
- Handel: Solomon – The Monteverdi Choir/John Eliot Gardiner (Decca, 1984)
- Handel: Saul – Musikvereinssaal, Vienna, April 1985)
- Bach: Mass in B minor – Archiv, 1985)
- Bach: St John Passion – Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists/Sir John Eliot Gardiner (Archiv, 1986)
- Bach: St Matthew Passion – London Oratory Junior Choir, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists/Sir John Eliot Gardiner (Archiv, 1986)
- Schubert: The Hyperion Schubert Edition, Vol 06 with Graham Johnson (Hyperion, 1989)
- Handel: Belshazzar – The English Concert/Trevor Pinnock (Recording Venue: Henry Wood Hall, London, 1990-07-11)
- Verdi: Otello (Cassio) – Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Georg Solti (Decca, 1991)
- Sullivan: The Mikado (Nanki Poo) - Welsh National Opera Chorus & Orchestra, Charles Mackerras (Telarc, 1991)
- Britten: Peter Grimes – Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Bernard Haitink (EMI, 1992)
- Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Huddersfield Choral Society/Vernon Handley, (EMI Eminence, 1993)
References
- ^ "Anthony Rolfe Johnson—Anthony Rolfe Johnson, who died on 21 July aged 69, was a tenor of enormous talent who came to singing relatively late in life". The Daily Telegraph. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d Blyth, Alan (22 July 2010). "Anthony Rolfe Johnson obituary—Mellifluous tenor outstanding in the Passions of Bach and operas of Britten". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ a b c Blyth, Alan (22 July 2010). "Anthony Rolfe Johnson obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ "Anthony Rolfe Johnson". The Telegraph. 22 July 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ "Obituaries: Anthony Rolfe Johnson". The Stage. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9780195337655. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ISBN 359844088X(in German)
- ^ "Philippe Boesmans: Wintermärchen (1997–1999)" (work details) (in French and English). IRCAM.
- ^ Christiansen, Rupert (1 October 2008). "John Mark Ainsley: I'm up for just about anything". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ Desert Island Discs: Anthony Rolfe Johnson. Accessed 9 June 2020.
- ^ WorldCat entry for DVD of God rot Tunbridge Wells : the life of Georg Frederic Handel accessed 19 February 2024.
- ^ "No. 52952". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1992. p. 8.
External links
- Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Hyperion Records
- Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Bach-cantatas.com – pictures
- Anthony Rolfe Johnson at IMDb
- Interview with Anthony Rolfe Johnson by Bruce Duffie, 19 November 1988
