Opera’s monster celebration

 
Celebrated Wagnerian bass and operatic phenomenon, John Tomlinson can scale a vast orchestra with a whisper
18 January 2013

Sir John Tomlinson, who first appeared at the Royal Opera House in a minor role in Salome 35 years ago, was honoured with a cake on stage last night at the end of the revival of Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s The Minotaur, in which Sir John plays the title role.

“It’s now 35 years since Sir John Tomlinson first came on to this stage,” said ROH boss Tony Hall, “and we all thought that is really worth a big celebration.”

Joining in the praise was Sir Antonio Pappano. “John Tomlinson — you truly are a monster,” he said in reference to his minotaur role and commented on how he showed “this mixture of human and animal” in every character.

Sir John apologised for having appeared for only 33 out of the 35 years and said: “This stage has been a second home. It means a lot to me.”

MORE ABOUT