Peter Forbes Robinson (21 May 192613 May 1987) was a British bass, born in Macclesfield, best known for his performances in works by Mozart,

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

, and

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

Career

He created the title role in

Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten ...

's '' King Priam''. His recordings include the Philips recording with Sir Colin Davis of Britten's ''

Peter Grimes ''Peter Grimes'', Op. 33, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Montagu Slater based on the section "Peter Grimes", in George Crabbe's long narrative poem '' The Borough''. The "borough" of the opera is a fictional ...

'', as Swallow; he may also be heard in a live 1972 recording of

Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor. Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he qu ...

's ''

The Olympians ''The Olympians'' is an opera in three acts by Arthur Bliss to a libretto by J. B. Priestley, first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 29 September 1949, conducted by Karl Rankl in a production by Peter Brook. After the initi ...

'', in which he plays Joseph Lavatte. He sang the part of Géronte de Ravoir in ''

Manon Lescaut ''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of ''Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité'' (''Memoirs and Adventures of a Ma ...

'' on UK television in 1983. According to Grove, he studied at the training school of La Scala, Milan and joined the Covent Garden Opera company in 1954, singing Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto, which he was still singing in the 1970s, among 60 roles he undertook with the company. He created Claggart in Britten's Billy Budd (1962). In 1966 he sang at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. He sang extensively for Welsh National Opera, roles including King Philip in Verdi's Don Carlo, Mozart's Don Giovanni (a wonderfully seedy characterization), the title role in Boris Godunov and Fiesco in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra.Grove says he had "a dark, expressive voice, evenly produced and capable of subtle characterization." In 1967 he made a recording of Handel arias on Argo Eclipse with the Academy of St Martin-in-the -Fields cond. Philip Ledger. It is said that he had a considerable rivalry with Welsh bass-baritone Geraint Evans.

Private life

He was born in Macclesfield and died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He married in 1952.

Discography

* Handel, G. F. Chandos Anthem No. 9 (recorded July 1965, reissued 1988 on Decca CD 421 150). Elizabeth Vaughan, Alexander Young, Forbes Robinson, Andrew Davis, John Langdon. In Handel, Antífonas de la Coronación. Antífona de Chandos Nº 9. English Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St .Martin in the Fields, Choir of King's College, Cambridge / Sir David Willcocks. CD. (Música Sacra, 13). Barcelona: Altaya, 1996. * Verdi, Giuseppe. La Traviata: Melodrama en tres actos de Francesco Maria Piave (20-6-1958). Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London. With Maria Callas, Cesare Valletti, Mario Zanasi, Marie Collier, Lea Roberts, Dermont Troy, Forbes Robinson, Ronald Lewis, David Kelly. Dir. Nicola Rescigno. New Remastering. 2 CDs. (Maria Callas). Barcelona: DiVa/RBA, 2000. * Britten, Benjamin. Rejoice in the Lamb: Festival cantata, op. 30. The Choir of St. John's College Cambridge. With Roger Parker, Michael Pearce, Robert Tear. Dir.: George Guest. Organ: Brian Runnett Decca Record Co Ltd, London. Recorded 1966. Digitally remastered 1990 *Handel Arias. The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, directed by Philip Ledger, Argo Eclipse 1967 reissued 1974.

Sources

''CLASSICALmanac''
* *James Anderson, ''The Complete Dictionary of Opera and Operetta''.

References

1926 births 1987 deaths Operatic basses British basses People from Macclesfield 20th-century British male opera singers Musicians from Cheshire {{UK-opera-singer-stub