David Rendall (actor)

David Montague-Rendall (11 October 1948 – 21 July 2025) was an English operatic tenor who developed an international career performing regularly at the Royal Opera House in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. His roles included Ferrando in Mozart's ''Così fan tutte'' and other Mozart roles, Almaviva in Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville'' and Matteo in R. Strauss's ''Arabella''. He appeared at leading opera houses in Europe, the United States, and Japan, growing into heavier roles such as Verdi's Otello and Wagner's Lohengrin.

Life and career

Rendall was born in London on 11 October 1948. Although he sang in a skiffle group while in secondary school, Rendall originally had no intention to sing opera professionally. He was discovered while working at the BBC, sorting records for ''Desert Island Discs''. A producer for the show heard him singing "Questa o quella" from ''Rigoletto'' while working, and suggested he study professionally.

Rendall studied voice at the Royal Academy of Music between 1970 and 1973 with Olive Groos and Alexander Young, and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg from 1973. He won a Young Musician of the Year Award from the Greater London Arts Association in 1973, and received a Gulbenkian Fellowship in 1975.

Opera

England

In 1974 Rendall joined the choir of the Glyndebourne Touring Company, and in 1975 he joined the choir of the Glyndebourne Festival, where he made his official stage debut as the cantor in Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin''. In 1975, he appeared as Ferrando in Mozart's ''Così fan tutte'' with the Glyndebourne Touring Company, and in 1976 performed the role with great success on the festival stage, where he later appeared in 1988 as Belmonte in Mozart's ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'', and in 1989 as Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky's ''The Rake's Progress'', and in 1998 as Gabriele Adorno in Verdi's ''Simone Boccanegra''.

Rendall debuted at the Royal Opera House in London on 20 November 1975, performing as the Italian singer in Strauss's ''Der Rosenkavalier''. He continued to perform there until 1990, performing roles such as Don Ottavio in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'', Almaviva in Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville'', Des Grieux in Massenet's ''Manon'', Matteo in Strauss's ''Arabella'', Giacomo in Rossini's ''La donna del lago'', the Young sailor in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Flamand in Strauss's ''Capriccio'', and the Duke in Verdi's ''Rigoletto''.

Rendall also performed with the English National Opera from 1976 to 1999, in roles such as Leicester in Donizetti's ''Maria Stuarda'', the Verdi's Duke in ''Rigoletto'' and the title role of ''Otello'' (1998), Puccini's Rodolfo in ''La bohème'' Rodolfo, Pinkerton in ''Madama Butterfly'', Cavaradossi in ''Tosca'' (1996) and Luigi in ''Il tabarro'' (1998), Don José in Bizet's ''Carmen'' and Erik in Wagner's '' The Flying Dutchman'' (both 1997), and Faust in Boito's '' Mefi'' (1999).

Canada and United States

Rendall first appeared in the Americas in 1977 as Tamino in Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte'' in Ottawa. He performed as Rodolfo in ''La bohème'' at the New York City Opera in 1978. In 1978 and during the 1980/81 season, he sang at the San Francisco Opera. He first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1980 as Ernesto in Donizetti's ''Don Pasquale'', he returned as Don Ottavio, subsequently performing as Belmonte, the title role of Mozart's ''La clemenza di Tito'', as Ferrando in 1983, as Lensky in Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin'', Alfred in ''Die Fledermaus'' by Johann Strauss, Matteo in ''Arabella'', and the title role of Mozart's ''Idomeneo'' in 1986. He appeared there in a total of 134 performances, the last being in April 1988 as Ferrando. He performed at the Portland Opera as Canio in Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci'' in 1997.

Europe

In September 1978, Rendall he made his debut at the Vienna State Opera as Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and in January–February 1988 returned as Matteo in Arabella. In concert, Rendall performed the tenor solo of Bruckner's Te Deum conducted by Herbert von Karajan during a performance at the Musikverein hall with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1978. He first appeared at La Scala in Milan in ''The Rake's Progress'' in 1979. He performed with many companies in Ireland, Denmark, Germany and Georgia.

In 1983 he sang as Faust in Berlioz's ''La Damnation de Faust'' in Lyon. Rendall appeared at the Bastille Opera in 1991 as Tamino, and at the Leipzig Opera in 1992 in the title role of Massenet's ''Werther''. He took part in the world premiere of Roberto Gerhard's opera '' The Duenna'' at the Teatro Zarzuela Madrid in 1992. He appeared as Wagner's Lohengrin at the Opéra du Rhin in 1994. In 1997, he performed in a BBC radio broadcast as François in Korngold's '' Die Kathrin''. He appeared in the title role of Offenbach's ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'' at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa in 1998.

Incident

Rendall was involved in an incident in 1998 during a rehearsal at the Florentine Opera of the final deadly scene of Leoncavallo's ''I Pagliacci'', when he accidentally stabbed baritone Kimm Julian; the switchblade-style knife that the Milwaukee opera company used failed to collapse, and the baritone received a cut into his abdomen. Julian recovered and police cleared Rendall of any wrongdoing.

Later career, injury and comeback

In July 2002, he performed at La Scala as Otello, also singing the company's guest performance in Japan in 2003. He appeared as Otello also at the Semperoper in Dresden in 2002.

During a performance as Radamès in Verdi's ''Aida'' at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen in April 2005, Rendall suffered severe injuries from the collapse of a stage set and as such his career was curtailed. In the months following his fall he underwent a hip replacement, followed by a knee joint replacement and extensive shoulder surgery.

Subsequently, due to a lack of engagements following his injuries, he appeared only occasionally, beginning with Otello at the National Opera of Chile in May 2006, as Dushyanta in a revival of Alfano's ''Sakùntala'' at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on 21 April 2006, as Tristan in ''Tristan und Isolde'' at the same venue in November 2006, and as Riccardo in Verdi's '' Un ballo in maschera'', again at the National Opera of Chile in June 2008. An important comeback concert also took place in London in June 2013, singing alongside mezzo-soprano Diana Montague, soprano Teodora Gheorghiu and pianist David Owen Norris. In 2015 he took up a teaching position at the Royal Academy of Music, and started giving private lessons in his Hampshire home. He appeared in the summer of 2016 as Triquet in ''Eugene Onegin'' at the Dorset Opera Festival.

Personal life

Rendall was married twice. In 1974, he married his first wife, Kathryn George, and they had a daughter. The couple subsequently divorced.

In February 1990, Rendall married the lyric mezzo-soprano Diana Montague. They met during productions of ''Così fan tutte'' and ''Idomeneo'' at the Met. The couple had four children, one of whom is the baritone Huw Montague Rendall. They lived in Brockenhurst, Hampshire.

Rendall died in New Forest on 21 July 2025, aged 76, following a long illness.

Assessment

David Rendall was primarily considered as a great Mozart interpreter, but also for roles from the Italian bel canto repertoire. He was also an internationally renowned concert and oratorio singer. Rendall worked with important conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Sir Colin Davis and Erich Leinsdorf.

Recordings

Rendall took part in the 1978 recording of ''Così fan tutte'' with the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Alain Lombard. He recorded the Requiem by Berlioz, conducted by Michael Gielen in 1979; Donizetti's ''Maria Stuarda'' with Charles Mackerras and the English National Opera in 1982; Puccini's ''La rondine'' with Lorin Maazel and the London Symphony Orchestra in 1985; and Korngold's '' Die Kathrin'' with Martyn Brabbins conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra in 1998. In 1983, he participated in the DVD recording of ''The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala'', conducted by James Levine, for Deutsche Grammophon.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rendall, David
1948 births
2025 deaths
20th-century English male opera singers
21st-century British male opera singers
21st-century English opera singers
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music
British tenors
English operatic tenors
Mozarteum University Salzburg alumni