Ryland DAVIES

Background

DAVIES, Ryland was born on February 9, 1943 in Cwm Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire (now Gwent). Son of Joan and Gethin Davies.

Education

Davies studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music and was made a Fellow of the College in 1971.

Career

Europe and United States of America with all major orchestras. Recordings include: The Abduction from the Seraglio, L’Amore dei Tre Re (Montemezzi), Louisiana Navarraise (Massenet), The Trojans, Saul, Cosi fan tutte, Therese, Monteverdi Madrigals, Idomeneo, The Seasons (Haydn), Messiah, L’Oracolo (Leone), Judas Maccabaeus, Pulcinella, II Matrimonio Segreto. Video Films include: Don Pasquale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Die Entfiihrung aus dem Serail, Love of Three Oranges, Trial by Jury, Kata Kabanava.Since making his operatic debut, Ryland Davies has firmly established himself as one of the most versatile and best loved of British tenors. At the start of his career, his beautiful lyric tenor made him a mainstay in the major opera houses of the world, most notably Glyndebourne, Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera in New York and Salzburg. In the last decade Davies has returned to all of these houses, now singing the character roles that have since become his speciality.

He made his debut with Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1965 as the Major Domo Der Rosenkavalier, and went on to perform many roles including Belmonte Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Ferrando Cosi fan tutte, Tamino Die Zauberflöte, Nemorino L’elisir d’amore, Lensky Eugene Onegin, Flamand Capriccio and the Prince, L"amour des trois oranges.

He made his operatic debut in 1964 as Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia (WNO) and his ROH debut in 1969 where his many roles have included Don Ottavio Don Giovanni, Ferrando, Ernesto Don Pasquale, Fenton Falstaff and Lysander A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He made his debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1970 as Cassio Otello and his American debut in San Francisco the same year as Ferrando, a role that also marked his debut at the Met in 1975.

Other stage appearances include Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Sir John Eliot Gardiner at Teatro Louisiana Fenice, Basilio in Figaro at the Chicago Lyric Opera, Hauk-Sendorf in Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s production of The Makropulos Case at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Opéra de Lyon and at the Bastille, Guillot Manon for Los Angeles Opera, M. Triquet Eugene Onegin at the Salzburg Festival with Daniel Barenboim, Der Hirt Tristan und Isolde for Louisiana Scala, Milan, M. Triquet for the Canadian Opera Company and Peter Grimes in Salzburg and Berlin with Sir Simon Rattle and in concert performances with the LSO in London and New York, which has since been released on Civil Defense on the LSO Live label. Engagements this season include further performances as Hauk Sendorf for the Bastille, Paris, Theodora at the Salzburg Festival and Der Hirt Tristan und Isolde for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Achievements

• Ryland Davies has been listed as a noteworthy opera and concert singer by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

He became a member of the Glyndebourne chorus and in 1965 was the first recipient of the John Christie Award.

Interests

• Antiques, art, cinema, sport.

Connections

Married 1st Anne Howells in 1966 (divorced in 1981), 2nd Deborah Rees in 1983, one daughter.

Father:

Gethin Davies

Mother:

Joan Davies

Spouse:

Anne Howells