English Tenors

[Tsaraslondon]

I pride myself on being pretty good at recognizing singers' voices. However, this month, Gramophone's covermount competetion is to identify a clutch of English tenors, and identify the odd one out. I am tempted to say the odd one out is Peter Pears, because his is the only voice I recognized. If Pears stands out, it is because, like him or hate him, there is something distinct and individual about his voice. The others all sound remarkably similar. Is this something intrinsic, to the teaching of the English choir tradition, where homogeneity of sound is paramount?

This doesn't really exist in other countries. For instance, if someone were to play for me, in quick succession a group of Italian tenors, say Pavarotti, Di Stefano, Corelli, Del Monaco and Bergonzi, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to work out who was whom. Indeed, I can hear their individual voices in my mind's ear, without having to listen to their records. Thoughts anyone?

[Guido]

Not in my experience - I can usually tell the difference between those few English tenors that I know.

[Tsaraslondon]

Not in my experience - I can usually tell the difference between those few English tenors that I know.

Which few are you thinking of?

[knight66]

I tend to agree that there is a lack of 'face' and individuality amongst the 'English' tenors and those I recognise, I home in on because of their defects. Pears....I shudder frankly. Langridge, gritty, Tear, nasal and acidic, Bostridge, the way he squeezes notes and chops up the legato.

I think Padmore is exceptional, but I am not sure I could tell him from Ainsley or Hill or Arthur Davis or Rendall. Partridge had a very sweet voice, but all these guys do have a somewhat anal delivery, except for Padmore who takes real risks. Anthony Rolfe Johnson is also exceptionally good, but, again, I cannot identify him from many of the others.

I do indeed think we have to blame the English choral tradition and especially Kings and St John's Cambridge, as so many singers emerge from these sources with all their professional contacts on a plate. The old boy network works overtime in this respect.

Mike

[Guido]

I forgive Langridge any dodgy recordings - his recording of Deis Natalis by Finzi is absolutely sublime. He was fabulous when he sung Dream of Gerontius with us too.

[yashin]

My favourites are:

Anthony Rolfe-Johnson - excellent Peter Grimes on CD.  Beautiful voice.  Also another great recording with Nagano of Billy Budd. His Captain Vere is terrific.

Phillip Langridge has already been mentioned.  I enjoy his performances of the above Britten roles too.

I very much enjoy listening to John Brecknock who can be heard on La Traviata (chandos) and Eugene Onegine (chandos).  Clear diction and a beautiful voice.

[mjwal]

The greatest English tenor by far was Heddle Nash - whose rendition of the Des Grieux "Dream Song" (sic) is magical, quite apart from his unmatched Gerontius.

[Susan de Visne]

No-one has yet rivalled Peter Pears for sheer personality, musicality and delivery of text, whether in Bach, Schubert or Britten, and whether you like his voice or not (I do).

The current ones are a bit interchangeable - all efficient, all quite good, but lacking the extra spark - except perhaps for Mark Padmore. He's the one I have the most hope about. Ian Partridge was a pleasure to listen to, but possibly rather limited. I was a big Anthony Rolfe Johnson fan, but although I know about Heddle Nash by repute, I don't remember him.

[The new erato]

The Dudley Moore Pers/Britten parody (available somewhere on youtube) is incredible, and quite deadly to both's mannerisms as singer and composer. Absolutely mandatory viewing.

[Susan de Visne]

I agree, the Dudley Moore is very funny.

I should have added Toby Spence and Robert Murray as two good new-ish tenors.

[Boris_G]

No one's mentioned John Mark Ainsley, who I think is very distinctive and one of the finest lyric English tenors today. Unlike so many English tenors, his voice has kept its freshness and he has a fine way of projecting text. There's an excellent new album of Finzi songs (some of them surprisingly astringent yet compelling) he's released on Naxos - well worth getting.