Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)[Millington (7 March 2010)] was an English tenor,[Kozinn (8 March 2010) p. B9.] considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio.[Valencia (6 March 2010)]
Early life
Langridge was born in
Hawkhurst,
Kent, educated at Maidstone Grammar School and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
[ Daily Telegraph (7 March 2010)] He started his career as an orchestral
, which exposed him to a great variety of music.
Career
Langridge was admired for his fine singing technique coupled with keen dramatic instincts. His repertoire was broad, ranging from the operas of Claudio Monteverdi and Mozart to more modern works by
Maurice Ravel,
Igor Stravinsky, Janáček and Schoenberg. At the end of his life, he was adding some
Richard Wagner roles, including Loge from
Das Rheingold. Langridge was also a fine concert singer and regularly performed the sacred music of Bach and Handel. He also won great acclaim for his portrayal of the title role in
Edward Elgar's
The Dream of Gerontius. In later years, Langridge frightened and delighted families with his portrayal of the witch in
Hansel and Gretel at the Metropolitan Opera holiday production.
For all his versatility, he was at his most distinguished performing the works of Benjamin Britten.[Clements (6 November 2009)] Britten composed much of his vocal music specifically for his artistic and life partner, tenor Sir Peter Pears. Many regarded Langridge as Pears' true successor because they shared similar vocal qualities and brought uncommon immediacy to the music they performed. He recorded many of his famous roles, including Peter Grimes and the Prologue / Quint in The Turn of the Screw, as well as all the orchestral song cycles for tenor voice.
Langridge's association with Harrison Birtwistle began in 1986 when he created the role of Orpheus in his opera The Mask of Orpheus. He also sang The Lawyer in the world premiere recording of Punch and Judy (1989) and created the roles of Kong in The Second Mrs Kong (Glyndebourne, 1994) and Hiereus in The Minotaur (Royal Opera House, 2008).[Hewett (10 April 2008)] Birtwistle composed Vanitas (based on a poem by David Harsent) especially for Langridge's 70th birthday concert at London's Wigmore Hall in November 2009.
In 1976 he created the title role in Thomas Wilson's adaptation of James Hogg's 1823 novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with Scottish Opera.
Langridge was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to music in the 1994 Birthday Honours.
Private life
He was married to Irish
mezzo-soprano Ann Murray until his death from
bowel cancer. Langridge is survived by their son Jonathan Philip (born 1986),
and his three adult children from his previous marriage: Anita, Jennifer,
and opera director Stephen.
See also
Sources
-
BBC News, "British tenor Philip Langridge dies at 70", 7 March 2010
-
Christiansen, Rupert, "I still lie awake at night. The fear never goes away", The Daily Telegraph, 12 January 2006.
-
Clements, Andrew, "Review: Philip Langridge, Wigmore Hall, London", The Guardian, 6 November 2009
-
Daily Telegraph, "Philip Langridge", 7 March 2010
-
Ivan Hewett, "The Minotaur: father and son venture into the labyrinth", The Daily Telegraph, 10 April 2008
-
Allan Kozinn "Philip Langridge, British Operatic Tenor, Dies at 70", The New York Times, 8 March 2010
-
Millington, Barry, "Philip Langridge Obituary: Leading British tenor committed to the theatrical dimension of the operatic stage" The Guardian, 7 March 2010
-
The Times, "Philip Langridge: operatic tenor", 8 March 2010
-
Valencia, Mark "Philip Langridge CBE, 1939–2010", What's on Stage, 6 March 2010
External links
