Born: 6 July, 1928, in Sheffield.
Died: 7 September, 2008, in Devon, aged 80.PETER Glossop was one of the most accomplished baritones specialising in the taxing Verdi, Puccini and Wagner roles. His robust, no-nonsense person
ality was matched on stage by a dramatic intensity and a vocal versatility that allowed him to deliver arias with a subtle blend of power and finesse. Scottish Opera (SO) heard Glossop early in his career in one of his greatest roles: Iago in Verdi's Otello. He first sang it with the company in 1961 in one of their historic productions. He last sang it with the company in 1977 by which time Glossop was acknowledged as the Iago of the decade and had sung it for von Karajan at Salzburg. Glossop was always forthright and straightforward. He had no truck with directors "who get away with excesses. Their presumption that they think better than Verdi or Wagner really annoys me."
Peter Glossop started singing with the Sheffield Operatic Society and after winning a competition in 1952 joined the Sadler's Wells chorus. By 1955 he was being cast in minor roles by the two music directors of the company, Colin Davis and Alexander Gibson. He sang a variety of principal roles under their direction (Scarpia in Tosca, Gugliemo in Cosi fan tutte among them) and then the Royal Opera cast him as Demetrius in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1961. Glossop was singing with all the international houses but continued as a regular guest at Covent Garden .
It was in 1963 that Peter Hemmings, SO's founding director, courageously decided to mount a new production of Otello. It is vocally one of the most difficult operas to cast but SO managed the task with a vengeance. Sir Alexander Gibson conducted a memorable account of the score and Anthony Besch produced a colourful and hugely dramatic staging. Charles Craig sang the title role, Luisa Bosabalian was Desdemona and Glossop a stridently sly Iago. It is now considered one of the productions (along with Cosi fan tutte and The Ring Cycle) that put SO on the international map. And Glossop was fundamental to its success.
The Times critic considered that "it was Mr Peter Glossop who stole the show as Iago, not only with the strength of his voice and its variety of expressive colour, but still more by reason of his dramatic conviction."
The Scotsman's critic was no less enthusiastic: "Peter Glossop's vivid and powerfully conceived Iago...". The production remained in SO's repertory for many years and Glossop returned to sing the role with the company on seven occasions. He brought to Iago a sense of credibility and fear: the evil came from within so when he sang the Credo it was no showpiece aria.
The story goes that Herbert von Karajan heard Glossop sing in Pagliacci at La Scala in Milan in 1966 and was simply captivated by his performance. "Those pale blue penetrating eyes ... panic and anger are not far below the surface," the maestro said. He engaged him for the 1964 Salzburg Festival production of Pagliacci and in 1970 von Karajan cast him as Iago at Salzburg with two of the great stars of the era: Jon Vickers (Otello) and Mirella Freni (Desdemona). Karajan produced and conducted, and to defray costs it was both recorded on disc and film. Glossop was acclaimed for his performance ("a consummate histrionic performance of great strength") and the recording is still considered one of the great versions of the opera.
It was very much to Glossop's credit as an artist that after this international acclaim, he returned to SO so often and was much admired by SO regulars. He also returned to sing Scarpia in Tosca in 1972.
Glossop came to the Edinburgh Festival of 1961 with that year's John Gielgud production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Royal Opera and then in 1963 with English Opera Group's The Rape of Lucretia.
Glossop had a remarkable career at Covent Garden and made memorable appearances in the new production of Il Trovatore by Luchino Visconti, conducted by Carlo Maria Guilini and Rigoletto under Sir Georg Solti (which Glossop took over at three days notice). He sang the title role of Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd which he then recorded under the composer and from the Seventies explored the German repertory, singing in The Flying Dutchman with English Opera North, Pizarro (Fidelio) with English National Opera and Mandryryka (Arabella) in New York.
In 2004, Peter Glossop published his autobiography (The Story of a Yorkshire Baritone). His first marriage to the soprano Joyce Blackham was dissolved and in 1977 he married Michelle Amos from whom he was divorced in 1986. He is survived by two daughters of his second marriage.
The full article contains 794 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
