Owen Brannigan
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Owen Brannigan (10 March 1908 – 9 May 1973) was an English bass-baritone.
Born in Annitsford, near Newcastle, Northumberland, he originally worked as a carpenter, but later studied at the Guildhall School of Music and won its gold medal in 1942.
He made his debut in Newcastle with Sadler's Wells Opera in 1943 as Sarastro in Mozart's The Magic Flute. He was with Sadler's Wells from 1944 to 1949 and from 1952 to 1958. There he created Benjamin Britten's Swallow in Peter Grimes in 1945, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia in 1946, Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring; Noye in Noye's Fludde in 1958, and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1960. He appeared in the 1953 film The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan. To the public at large he may well be best remembered for his portrayal of the Sergeant of Police in the G and S operetta the Pirates of Penzance; he played this role on record several times and often re-created it on the Gilbert and Sullivan nights on the Henry Wood Prom Concerts.
He performed at Glyndebourne from 1947, and at Covent Garden from 1948. He also gained popularity in radio and television programmes of Northumbrian and other folksongs. Many of these can be found on LP recordings and recently a CD, "A Little Nonesense" ( Originally in 1962) in 2007 with the Pro Arte Orchestra and Charles Mackerras.
One of the best English buffo singers, Brannigan possessed a voice of large size and excellent quality.
Owen Brannigan died of pneumonia, and is buried in the churchyard of St John The Baptist RC Church at Annitsford, where his wife Mary is also buried. His only son Owen died in 1981 after being electrocuted in a tragic garden accident.
Opera Singer Graeme Danby will present and sing favourite songs of Owen Brannigan on ITV on 11th September 2008
[edit] Literature
- D. Brook, Singers of Today 2nd Edition (Rockliff, London 1958), 38-42.
