|
right Charles Donald Adams (20 December 1928 – 8 April 1996) was an English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in bass-baritone roles of the Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his own company, Gilbert and Sullivan for All.〔 Adams began his career with the BBC Repertory Company in 1944. Among other early performances, he was leading man with Great Yarmouth Repertory Company for two years. In 1951, he joined the D'Oyly Carte organisation and soon began to play roles, becoming the company's principal bass until 1969. With Thomas Round and Norman Meadmore, he formed the touring company, Gilbert and Sullivan for All, in which he continued to sing bass and bass-baritone roles as well as directing. By the early 1980s, Adams was performing in opera and operetta throughout Britain and abroad, continuing nearly until his death. He recorded many of his roles, particularly his Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire. ==Beginnings and D'Oyly Carte years== Donald Adams was born in Bristol and educated at the Bristol Cathedral School, where he sang as a chorister in the cathedral and played Thomas Becket in ''Murder in the Cathedral'' at the age of sixteen.〔Forbes, Elizabeth. "Obituary: Donald Adams", ''The Independent'', 11 April 1996〕 While still at school, he made his first professional appearance as an actor in 1944 with the BBC Repertory Company.〔Stone, David. (Donald Adams ) at ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte'', 11 April 2006, accessed 10 February 2010〕 He studied with an Italian singing teacher in London, Rodolfo Melle (who had sung at La Scala with the great tenor Aureliano Pertile), who taught Adams to sustain the vowels of a word before reaching the consonants. This, Adams said, gave the voice "a nice line", and he continued to practise Melle's lessons until the end of his life.〔''The Times'', 16 April 1996〕 Adams interrupted his fledgling stage and radio career to serve in the British Army, where he acted as resident producer of the Army Repertory Theatre at Catterick Camp.〔 After his national service, he returned to acting and music-hall performances, gaining good notices. For two years, he was leading man with Great Yarmouth Repertory Company and was a member of the quartet, ''The Regal Four''. He also appeared in pantomime at the Euston Theatre in King's Cross. Kitty McShane asked Adams to go on tour with her and Arthur Lucan (Kitty and Old Mother Riley), during which Lucan suggested that Adams combine his singing and acting and audition for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.〔From Sullivan to Strauss, R (with Alan Blyth ). ''Opera'', March 1990, pp. 297–301.〕 Adams was hired by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company as a chorister in 1951 and soon began to play the small roles of Bill Bobstay in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', Samuel in ''The Pirates of Penzance'', Second Yeoman in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'', and Antonio in ''The Gondoliers'',〔 eventually understudying 26 roles.〔(Donald Adams ) at ''Memories of the D'Oyly Carte'', accessed 10 February 2010〕 The next season, he took over the principal role of Captain Corcoran in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' and substituted for the ailing Alan Styler as Cox in ''Cox and Box'', the Counsel in ''Trial by Jury'' and Grosvenor in ''Patience''. He also appeared once as Old Adam Goodheart in ''Ruddigore'' and soon began to play the Lieutenant of the Tower in ''The Yeomen of the Guard''.〔Rollins and Witts, pp. 176–77〕 Adams also began to fill in for the ageing Darrell Fancourt, who missed an increasing number of performances, as the Pirate King in ''Pirates'', Colonel Calverley in ''Patience'', the Earl of Mountararat in ''Iolanthe'', the title role in ''The Mikado'' and Sir Roderic Murgatroyd in ''Ruddigore''.〔 When Fancourt retired at the end of the 1952–53 season, Adams became the company's principal bass-baritone, regularly playing Dick Deadeye in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', the Pirate King, Colonel Calverley, the Earl of Mountararat, the Mikado of Japan, Sir Roderic in ''Ruddigore'', Sergeant Meryll in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'', and Arac in ''Princess Ida'' (when that opera was revived in 1954). From 1961 to 1963, he also played Sergeant Bouncer in ''Cox and Box''.〔Rollins and Witts, pp. 177–86〕 Although he had admired Fancourt, when he took over the roles, Adams asked Bridget D'Oyly Carte if he could create his own characterisations, which she agreed to, saying she would tell him if he overstepped the mark.〔 Adams continued as the principal bass-baritone of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company until 1969. In 1952 he married D'Oyly Carte soprano Muriel Harding (1920–90).〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Donald Adams」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|
