John Brecknock

He was born at Long Eaton, Derbyshire, joined the chorus of Sadler's Wells Opera in 1967 and graduated to small solo roles.

In 1977 he co-starred at the Paris Opéra with Teresa Berganza in Rossini's La Cenerentola, and in 1978 sang Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, to the Donna Anna of Joan Sutherland, who wrote of his "beautiful glossy voice and easy technique".

[1] Among Brecknock's Mozart roles were a priest and an armed man in The Magic Flute,[2] Ferrando in Così fan tutte[3] and Belmonte in The Seraglio.

His Offenbach roles included the title characters in Bluebeard and Robinson Crusoe,[14] Paris in La belle Hélène,[15] and Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld.

[18] In less-frequently performed operas Brecknock's roles included the Page in Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea,[19] Jupiter in Handel's Semele,[20] and Adriano in Meyerbeer's Il crociato in Egitto.