Tudor Davies

Biography

Operatic tenor, with a fresh warm voice, and considerable conviction and panache. Born in Wales, U.K., on 12 November 1892. Trained in Cardiff, and at Royal College of Music, London; teachers were Gustave Garcia and Vladimir Rosing. Served in the Royal Navy during WWI. Debut at Old Vic (1920) as Tamino in THE MAGIC FLUTE, then sang title roles in FAUST and LOHENGRIN. Joined British National Opera Company in 1922. Sang with the Vic-Wells Opera 1931-1941. During WWII worked for ENSA, where he met and married the soprano Ruth Packer. Sang with the Carl Rosa Opera Company 1941-1946. Besides all the standard operatic tenor roles, he also sang in AT THE BOAR'S HEAD (Holst) and FETE GALANTE (Ethel Smyth), and in the first Sadler's Wells performances of THE DEVIL TAKE HER (Arthur Benjamin), THE SNOW MAIDEN (Rimsky-Korsakov) and DON CARLOS (Verdi). In the 1950s he gave up the operatic stage for the concert hall, and taught in Cardiff. In 1958, he became ill with a liver complaint; he died in hospital after failed surgery, and was buried at Penallt, Momouth, Wales, U.K. on 2nd April 1958. He recorded many discs; as well as a large number of individual arias, he also recorded a complete performance of MADAME BUTTERFLY (in English), and substantial excerpts from Wagner's RING CYCLE and THE MASTERSINGERS OF NUREMBERG, and from Vaughan Williams's HUGH THE DROVER.