Gramophone's Lifetime Achievement Award 2025: Sir Thomas Allen
The baritone bade farewell to the stage last year, but one can forever enjoy his remarkable voice in many and varied roles recorded over more than half a century.
On November 12, 1980, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Colin Davis conducted Le nozze di Figaro, with Thomas Allen singing Count Almaviva. The performance is memorable for an unexpected incident: the safety curtain refused to rise after the interval.
As the cast climbed up to the stage from the orchestra pit using ladders, Allen began his recitative with an improvised line:
What a strange situation!instead of the traditional ‘Che imbarazzo è mai questo!’, using Edward J Dent’s singing translation.
Author's summary: Sir Thomas Allen receives Lifetime Achievement Award.
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