Uncategorized

Another Great British Musician Gone

This time it’s English tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson, a singer who used his somewhat dry voice with exceptional skill, and was familiar to all classical record collectors in the ’80s and ’90s for his copious discography — he was the tenor in many period-instrument recordings from that era, in parts like the Evangelist in Bach’s Passions. Apart from baroque and classical music, he was also a specialist in Benjamin Britten; here’s a clip of him as the Earl of Essex — he’s the one who enters at 0:17 in this clip — in the big quartet from Gloriana, Britten’s grand opera about Queen Elizabeth I (which he wrote for the coronation festivities of Elizabeth II, and which was coolly received as being insufficiently festive).

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.