Overview

Robert Tear (8 March 1939 – 29 March 2011) was a prominent Welsh tenor and later a conductor whose career combined operatic leading roles, prolific recording, concert solo work and musical education. Born in Barry in Wales, he became known for his clear diction, sensitive musicianship and particular affinity for 20th‑century British repertoire.

Early life and musical training

Tear began singing as a boy in church and cathedral choirs. He sang in the choir at St Paul’s Cathedral and was later appointed a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, where the experience of liturgical singing and the English choral tradition shaped his approach to text and tone. He left Cambridge in 1961 to pursue a professional career as a soloist.

Operatic and concert career

During the 1960s and afterwards, Tear established himself on the operatic stage and in concert halls. He was closely associated with the English Opera Group and performed many roles in the operas of Benjamin Britten. One of his most celebrated parts was Quint in The Turn of the Screw, which he sang in major European venues including performances in Moscow and Leningrad.

Repertoire and recordings

Tear’s repertoire ranged from Baroque sacred music to Romantic Lieder and modern works. He recorded more than 250 discs, encompassing works such as the cantatas of cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, Britten’s Serenade, Nocturne and the War Requiem, and large-scale pieces like Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. He was also admired for his interpretations of song cycles and Lieder, notably Schubert’s Die Winterreise.

Collaborations and conductors

As a soloist he performed with many leading orchestras and under celebrated conductors such as Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan. In later decades he increasingly took the podium himself, leading ensembles both in Britain and abroad; an example of his conducting engagements took him to Minneapolis in the United States. He led British orchestras including the Philharmonia, the Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool and Scottish ensembles.

Association with British composers and song partnerships

Tear was particularly associated with the music of British composers: besides Britten, he created the role of Dov in Michael Tippett’s opera The Knot Garden. He also formed a notable recital partnership with the baritone Benjamin Luxon, and together they championed Victorian parlour songs and other English repertoire, including songs of the Victorian era and art songs of the 20th century.

Teaching, honours and legacy

Beyond performance, Tear contributed to vocal education. He served as Artistic Director of the Vocal Faculty at the London Royal Schools of Music in the early 1990s and held the Chair of International Singing at the Royal Academy of Music. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1984 and was an honorary member of King’s College, Cambridge. He died in London in 2011.

Selected highlights

  • Early choral training: St Paul’s Cathedral and King’s College, Cambridge.
  • Principal operatic roles with the English Opera Group, notable for Britten performances.
  • Extensive discography covering Bach, Britten, Mahler and the Lied repertoire.
  • Later career as conductor and teacher, holding academic posts and directing vocal studies.

Robert Tear’s career is remembered for a combination of elegant vocal style, a firm commitment to contemporary British music, and a substantial legacy of recordings and students that continued to influence singers and ensembles after his death.