Tenor who hit a new pitch 100 years ago

IT’S fair to say that the tenor John McCormack is chiefly remembered today for his expert renditions of romantic ballads and religious hymns.

Notwithstanding the undoubted beauty of many of these recordings, the excessive focus on this admittedly important aspect of his musical legacy has tended to overshadow his considerable achievement in the world of opera.

One hundred years ago last Monday, McCormack made his Covent Garden debut as the despicable Sicilian lover, Turiddu, in Cavalleria Rusticana.