Death of a great British tenor

We have been informed of the passing just before midnight of the marvellous tenor Graham Clark. Graham, who was 81, had been struggling with cancer in recent months.

Lancashire born, like so many leading personalities in British opera, he made his Covent Garden debut at a charity gala in 1975 and never looked back. He notched up 122 performances at Bayreuth and 82 over 15 seasons at The Met, amid appearances on all major stages. He was especially close to Daniel Barenboim after appearing in his Bayreuth Ring.

Graham sang on into his 70s. His last role was in September 2019 in the world premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s Macbeth Underworld in Brussels.

photo: Benjamin Ealovega/Groves Artists