Philip Langridge facts for kids

Philip Langridge was a famous British singer. He was a tenor, which is a high male singing voice. He sang in many operas and concerts. He was born in Kent, England, in 1939. He passed away in 2010.

His Life and Music

Early Life and Training

Philip Langridge started studying music in 1958. He learned to play the violin at the Royal Academy of Music. Two years later, he began taking singing lessons. His teacher was Bruce Boyce.

First Performances

His first public concert was in 1961. He sang in Handel's famous work, Messiah. He also sang in the John Alldis Choir. Soon, he was singing many main roles in operas.

His Singing Style

Langridge had a wonderful singing voice. He was also very good at acting on stage. He sang many different types of roles. These included parts in operas by Claudio Monteverdi and Mozart. He also sang music by Stravinsky and Janáček.

He was especially known for singing music by Benjamin Britten. Later in his career, he sang one role from a Wagner opera. This was the part of Loge in Das Rheingold.

Concert Performances

Philip Langridge was also a great concert singer. He often sang in religious music by Bach and Handel. He was very famous for singing the main role in Elgar's oratorio, The Dream of Gerontius.

Singing Britten's Music

Benjamin Britten wrote many songs and opera roles for his friend Peter Pears. Langridge had a similar singing voice to Pears. Because of this, he became very famous for singing Britten's music. Some of his well-known roles included:

• The main character in Peter Grimes
• Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw
• Captain Vere in Billy Budd
• Aschenbach in Death in Venice

Other Important Roles

Langridge also sang in several operas by Harrison Birtwistle. He sang The Lawyer in the first recording of Punch and Judy in 1989. In 1994, he sang the part of Kong in The Second Mrs Kong. He also performed as Hiereus in The Minotaur in 2008.

Awards and Family

In 1994, Philip Langridge was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This award was for his great contributions to music. He was married twice. His second wife was the Irish singer Ann Murray.

Philip Langridge died in 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Philip Langridge para niños