Robert Lloyd (bass)

Robert Andrew Lloyd CBE (born 2 March 1940 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex) is an English bass singer.

Lloyd was educated at Keble College, Oxford and studied in London with the baritone Otakar Kraus, and made his professional debut with University College Opera in 1969 as Don Fernando in "Leonore", the early version of Fidelio. From 1969 to 1972 he was Principal Bass with the Sadler's Wells Opera Company (now English National Opera), and from 1972 to 1982 was a member of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

He has sung leading roles at Glyndebourne and with other British opera companies, and has appeared in major opera houses throughout the world. He sings roles in British, German, Italian, French and Russian works (Claggart and Superintendent Budd in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd and Albert Herring respectively, the Priest and Angel of Agony in Edward Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius; Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Gurnemanz in Parsifal, Fasolt in Das Rheingold; Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville, Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra, Philippe II in Don Carlos; Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande, Comte des Grieux in Manon, Narbal in Les Troyens; the title-role in Boris Godunov).

He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1991 for his services to music.

Recordings

Robert Lloyd's "basso cantante" is also heard to good effect on numerous recordings. Among these are:

*"Albert Herring" (conductor: Steuart Bedford), 1996, Naxos
*"Il Barbiere di Siviglia" (conductor: Neville Marriner), 1983, Philips
*"La Bohème" (conductor: Colin Davis), 1979, Philips
*"Don Giovanni" (conductor: Neville Marriner), 1990, Philips
*"The Dream of Gerontius" (conductor: Adrian Boult), 1975, EMI
*"Die Entführung aus dem Serail" (conductor: Colin Davis), 1978, Philips
*"La Fanciulla del West" (conductor: Zubin Mehta), 1977, DG
*"Fidelio" (conductor: David Parry), 2005, Chandos
*"Lucia di Lammermoor" (conductor: Nicola Rescigno), 1983, EMI
*"Macbeth" (conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli), 1983, Philips
*"A Midsummer Night's Dream" (conductor: Colin Davis), 1996, Philips
*"Le Nozze di Figaro" (conductor: Neville Marriner), 1986, Philips
*"Parsifal" (conductor: Armin Jordan), 1981, Erato
*"Requiem" (Mozart, conductor: Neville Marriner), 1991, Philips
*"The Rhinegold" (conductor: Reginald Goodall), 1975, Chandos
*"Werther" (conductor: Colin Davis), 1981, Philips
*"Die Zauberflöte" (conductor: Charles Mackerras), 1991, Telarc
*"Great Mass in C Minor" (chorus master: Laszlo Heltay), 1994 Philips"I Capuletti e i Montecchi" (Conductor: Georges Patane),1975,EMI

External links

* [http://www.hafodlane.fsnet.co.uk/page23.htm Biography and photo]