Richard Van Allan
Richard Van Allan CBE (28 May 1935 – 4 December 2008) was a versatile British operatic bass singer who had a lengthy career.
He sang varied repertoire at Covent Garden and English National Opera, as well as at numerous important houses worldwide. With his distinctive profile and memorable stage presence, he made a powerful impression in many roles, from Wagner, Verdi and Mozart, to Gilbert and Sullivan. The Times wrote that he embodied "all the virtues that make the complete artist – vocal beauty and technique, musicianship, language, dramatic ability, stylistic authority".[1]
Biography
Richard Van Allan was born in
Career
Van Allan taught science in Birmingham while studying voice with
He made his 1971 Covent Garden debut as the Mandarin in Puccini's Turandot. He became a regular artist at the Royal Opera House in the 1970s and 1980s in the Mozart/Da Ponte operas, as well as Fidelio, Nabucco, Carmen and La bohème. He sang Leporello in Don Giovanni with Glyndebourne Touring Opera. He also sang with Welsh National Opera, beginning in 1969, in the leading bass roles in La Cenerentola, Rigoletto, Macbeth, Nabucco, The Barber of Seville, Aida and Ernani.[1]
Van Allan returned to Sadler's Wells in the title role of Don Giovanni, in John Gielgud's production. He later sang Leporello with English National Opera (Sadler's Wells's new name), as well as the Grand Inquisitor and later King Philip II in Don Carlos (Verdi), the title role in Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky), Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss), the title role in Don Quichotte (Massenet), Count Almavivia in The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), Procida in I Vespri Siciliani (Verdi), Mazeppa (Tchaikovsky), Padre Guardiano in La forza del destino (Verdi), Mephistofeles in both Gounod's and Berlioz's versions of Faust, Mustafà (Rossini), and one of his most admired parts, Claggart in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd, among many other roles. He was the original Pooh Bah in ENO's acclaimed version of The Mikado, one of his favourite parts at ENO.[2]
Overseas, he appeared at the
His concert performances included Beethoven's Ninth symphony, Bruckner's Mass in F minor, Dvořák's Te Deum, and Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ and The Damnation of Faust (with Sir Simon Rattle). From 1986 to 2001 Van Allan was director of the National Opera Studio (succeeding Michael Langdon). He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001.[1]
Later years
In his later career, his performances became less frequent. However, he continued to tackle new roles. He created the role of Tiresias in the world premiere of
Van Allan died of lung cancer on 4 December 2008, aged 73, survived by his wife, Rosemary, and children Guy and Emma. Another son, Robert, predeceased him.[2]
Discography
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Notes
- ^ a b c d e f "Richard Van Allan: versatile operatic bass", The Times, 9 December 2008
- ^ a b c d e O'Connor, Patrick. "Versatile bass whose opera career spanned more than 40 years", The Guardian, 10 December 2008
- ^ Shepherd, Marc. Artist Listing Archived 3 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine at A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography
- ^ Purcell, H.: Fairy Queen (The) (ENO, 1995) Naxos
- ^ Stravinsky: Rake's Progress (The) (Glyndebourne, 1975) Naxos
References
- "Richard Van Allan – Bass-baritone who excelled in Don Giovanni and was a stalwart of British opera for more than 40 years", The Telegraph, 10 December 2008
External links
- Richard Van Allan at IMDb
- Times online
- Hyperion Records
- An interview with Richard Van Allan recorded in 1991 – a British Library sound recording
- Interview with Richard Van Allan, January 18, 1987