Radford, Robert
Radford, Robert
Radford, Robert , esteemed English bass; b. Nottingham, May 13, 1874; d. London, March 3, 1933. He was educated at London’s Royal Academy of Music, taking voice lessons with Alberto Randegger. He made his operatic debut at Covent Garden in London in 1904 as the Commendatore in Don Giovanni; later sang Hagen and Hunding in the first English Ring cycle under Richter in London (1908). In 1921 he became a founder, with Beecham, of the British National Opera Co.; later became its director. In 1929 he was appointed to the faculty of his alma mater. His fame as an opera singer was great in England; in addition to singing opera, he greatly distinguished himself as a concert artist. His daughter, Winifred Radford (b. London, Oct. 2, 1901; d. Cheltenham, April 15, 1993), was a singer and teacher. She was closely associated with Bernac and Poulenc.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire