Walter Widdop

Walter Widdop (19 April 1892 – 6 September 1949) was a British operatic tenor who is best remembered for his Wagnerian performances. His repertoire also encompassed works by Verdi, Leoncavallo, Handel and Bach.

Widdop was born at Norland, near Halifax, Yorkshire, England. As a teenager, he worked in a woollen mill and sang in a church choir. He also won a number of singing prizes in his native county, earning praise for his "God-given" voice, which was honed by a local teacher, Arthur Hinchcliffe. He served with the British Army during World War One and married in 1917.

In 1923, Widdop made the first of many broadcasts for the BBC. In the same year, he made his professional operatic debut as Radames in Verdi's Aida with the British National Opera Company, in Leeds. He made his London debut the following year, in the title role in Wagner's Siegfried at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His identification with the Wagnerian repertoire was strengthened by his recordings, notably his Siegmund in the first HMV 78-rpm album of highlights from Die Walküre, with the bass-baritone Friedrich Schorr also in the cast, under the baton of Albert Coates. His Covent Garden Siegmund was heard in 1932, and his Tristan in 1933, 1937, and 1938. His stage and studio partners included the dramatic soprani Florence Austral, Frida Leider and Gota Ljungberg. Most of his recordings are available on CD reissues.

...
Wikipedia