Thomas Allen |

Thomas Allen

Sir Thomas Allen is one of the most famous baritones in the world. His voice sounds in famous opera houses: London’s Covent Garden and the New York Metropolitan Opera, Milan’s La Scala, the Bavarian and Scottish Operas, theaters in Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas, as well as at the famous festivals in Salzburg, Glyndebourne, Spoleto.

In 2006, the singer celebrated his 35th anniversary at the Covent Garden Theatre, where he has performed over 50 operatic roles.

Thomas Allen was born in 1944. Graduated from the Royal College of Music. He made his debut in 1969 as Figaro (Rossini’s The Barber of Seville) at the Welsh National Opera. Three years later, he first performed at Covent Garden in the opera Billy Budd by B. Britten.

Thomas Allen became especially famous for the embodiment of Mozart’s characters on stage: Count Almaviva, Don Alfonso, Papageno, Guglielmo and, of course, Don Juan. Among his other “crown” roles are Billy Budd (in Britten’s opera of the same name), Pelléas (“Pelléas et Mélisande” by Debussy), Eugene Onegin (in Tchaikovsky’s opera of the same name), Ulysses (in L. Dallapikkola’s opera of the same name), Beckmesser (“The Nuremberg Meistersingers” of Wagner).

The singer’s recent engagements include performing the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the Spoleto Festival and at the Los Angeles Opera; the main role in the musical “Sweeney Todd” by S. Sondheim, Beckmesser (“The Meistersingers of Nuremberg” by Wagner), Faninal (“The Rosenkavalier” by R. Strauss), Prosdochimo (“The Turk in Italy” by Rossini), Musician (“Ariadne auf Naxos” R . Strauss), Peter (Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel) and Don Alfonso (Mozart’s So Do Everyone) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus by I. Strauss) at the Glyndeburn Festival and at the Bavarian State Opera; Don Alfonso, Ulysses and Don Giovanni at the Bavarian State Opera; Don Alfonso at the Dallas Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Salzburg Easter and Summer Festivals; The Forester (The Adventures of the Cunning Fox by Janáček) at the San Francisco Opera, Beckmesser, Don Alfonso and the Musician (Ariadne auf Naxos by R. Strauss) at the New York Metropolitan Opera.

No less fame was brought to the singer and his concert performances. He gives concerts in the UK, Europe, Australia, America, collaborates with great orchestras and outstanding conductors. Most of his repertoire has been recorded with such masters of conducting art as G. Solti, J. Levine, N. Marriner, B. Haitink, S. Rattle, V. Zavallish and R. Muti. A recording of Mozart’s opera Le nozze di Figaro with the participation of the singer under the direction of Georg Solti received a Grammy award in 1983,

In the new season, the artist’s performances are scheduled at the Covent Garden Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera, the Scottish Opera, theaters in Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as a debut at the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia.

The singer has received many titles and awards: Kammersänger of the Bavarian Opera, Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, Professor of the Prince Consort of the Royal College of Music, Visiting Professor of the Opera Studio of Oxford University, Royal College of Music, University of Sunderland, Doctor of Music of Durham and Birmingham Universities. In 1989, Thomas Allen was awarded the Order of the British Empire, and in 1999, in celebration of the Queen’s Birthday, received the title of Knight Bachelor (Knight Bachelor).

Thomas Allen writes books (in 1993 his first book, Foreign Parts – A Singer’s Journal was published), starred in documentaries (“Mrs. Henderson Presents” and “The Real Don Juan”).

Source: Moscow Philharmonic website