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The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Stuart Burrows obituary
The apparently inauspicious thoroughfare of William Street, in the village of Cilfynydd, near Pontypridd in the south Wales valleys, was the birthplace not only of Lord Merlyn-Rees, the former Labour home secretary, but of two singers of worldwide fame: the bass-baritone Geraint Evans and the tenor Stuart Burrows. Burrows, who has died aged 92, had a mellifluous, highly expressive voice that made him first choice for many opera houses, especially in Mozartian roles, and also with the viewing public. For eight years (1978-86) he had his own hugely popular television show on the BBC, Stuart Burrows Sings, on which he presented Victorian ballads, and folk songs from Wales and elsewhere, as well as classical favourites. For 22 years, between 1967 and 1989, he supplied Mozartian staples such as Tamino, Titus, Idomeneo and Ottavio at Covent Garden, interspersed with the occasional Fenton in Falstaff, Lensky in Onegin, Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Alfredo in La Traviata. Over the same period he was a regular visitor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and was said to be the first UK singer to appear in 12 consecutive seasons. There he sang Pinkerton opposite Leontyne Price and Alfredo opposite Beverly Sills' Violetta, and appeared in Die Entführung aus dem Serail conducted by James Levine, alongside Edda Moser, Kathleen Battle and Martti Talvela. He appeared at the San Francisco Opera first in 1967, as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte – also his first role at the Vienna State Opera in 1970 – and as Don Ottavio at the 1970 Salzburg festival, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. The son of Albert Burrows, a coalminer, and Gladys (nee Powell), who also worked for a mining company as an administrator, Stuart excelled at rugby as a boy and initially aspired to become a professional player – but he turned down the offer of a contract to play with Leeds Rugby League Club. Instead he took employment as a schoolteacher until he won the tenor solo prize at the Royal National Eisteddfod in 1959 – despite only having voice training as a child until the age of 12 – and went on to study at Trinity College, Carmarthen. He made his stage debut in 1963 with the Welsh National Opera in the comprimario role of Ismaele in Nabucco, also at that time essaying heavier roles such as Rodolfo in La Bohème and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, which were not to feature in his repertoire as his career developed. In 1965 he was invited to sing the title role in Oedipus Rex in Athens under the baton of Igor Stravinsky himself. His long run at Covent Garden began with the role of the First Prisoner in Fidelio (1967). The following year he was kept busy there: in January he sang Tamino, in April Jack in The Midsummer Marriage, in May Fenton in Falstaff, in October Tamino again and in November Edmondo in Manon Lescaut. In roles such as Tamino, Titus and Idomeneo, he displayed an ideal combination of an appealingly honeyed tone, aristocratic command and heroic address. He deployed a similar mode of delivery in Bach and Handel (the latter's oratorios were particular favourites) and his performances of this repertory were winning even if they showed little affinity with the historically informed style by then gaining momentum. It stood him in good stead, however, in bel canto opera, as heard, for example, in a privately recorded Covent Garden performance as Elvino in La Sonnambula with Renata Scotto, or on a commercial recording of him singing Leicester in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, with Sills and Eileen Farrell as the rival queens. Here his aptitude for a natural legato fuses with a plaintive quality of timbre, under immaculate control, to produce a stylish and highly affecting account of the role that makes one wish he had devoted more time to the repertory. A second (privately recorded) taping of Burrows in that role, at San Francisco in 1971, also exists, with Joan Sutherland and Huguette Tourangeau as the two queens. He excelled, too, in lyric tenor roles of French operas. His recordings included The Damnation of Faust with Seiji Ozawa, Mahler's Das Klagende Lied with Pierre Boulez and The Midsummer Marriage with Colin Davis. On the concert platform he appeared with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim and Eugene Ormandy. He also gave solo recitals (often with the pianist John Constable), specialising in songs by Beethoven, Schubert and English composers, as well as ballads and folk songs. In later years Burrows acted as an adjudicator at prestigious song competitions, including Cardiff Singer of the World. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and honorary fellowships from Aberystwyth and Cardiff universities, and Trinity College, Carmarthen. He was particularly proud to have a LeShuttle locomotive named after him. He married Enid Lewis in 1957. She died in 1985; he is survived by their two children, Mark and Meryl, and two grandchildren. James Stuart Burrows, tenor, born 7 February 1933; died 29 June 2025
New York Times
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Stuart Burrows, Welsh Lyric Tenor Who Straddled the Atlantic, Dies at 92
Stuart Burrows, a Welsh lyric tenor prized by conductors on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s and '80s for his agile singing in Mozart, becoming a mainstay at the Metropolitan Opera and at Covent Garden in London, died on Sunday in Cardiff, Wales. He was 92. His death, in a hospice facility, was confirmed by his son, Mark. Mr. Burrows was a coal miner's son who was schooled in the chapels of Cilfynydd, the village where he was born. His clear voice and attention to detail would make him an ideal Ottavio in 'Don Giovanni' and Tamino in 'The Magic Flute.' His control was effortless throughout the full tenor range, his tone rich and unforced, as in his role as Lensky in Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin.' In Georg Solit's 1974 recording of that opera, Mr. Burrows's voice was 'most beautiful and sensitive,' the critic John Warrack wrote in a review in the magazine Gramophone. Mr. Burrows nearly opted for a professional rugby career as a young man in the early 1950s — he turned down a contract with the club in Leeds at the last minute — but he knew he had a gift that he could not ignore, though his career wouldn't blossom for another decade. 'I knew I could sing,' he told the BBC in 1972. Yet, he added, 'I never had ambition to be a singer.' Singing was merely part of the landscape in bardic Wales; the renowned baritone Geraint Evans was born in the same village — and even on the same street — as Mr. Burrows. He had settled happily into a role as a schoolteacher in nearby Bargoed, teaching woodworking and music, 'a job which he enjoyed immensely,' Roger Wimbush wrote in a biographical sketch in Gramophone in 1971. But then Mr. Burrows sang 'Il Mio Tesoro' from 'Don Giovanni,' in Welsh, in a singing competition in 1959 at the age-old national Eisteddfod festival, and won. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Wales Online
26-06-2025
- Wales Online
The Gwynedd village where almost half of properties are second homes or holiday lets
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Curbs on the use of second homes and holiday lets in Eryri will provide "more control" over the area's housing stock, planning bosses say. It comes as figures show almost half of homes in one village are used as second homes or holiday lets. An Article 4 Direction came into force in the Eryri National Park on June 1, 2025, removing permitted rights over the change of use of main homes to second homes or short term holiday lets, and certain mixed uses. It also removed permitted rights over the change of use from second homes to short term holiday lets, and vice versa. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday Now, Eryri National Park's planning and access committee has approved recommendations over its Draft Supplementary Planning Guidance [SPG], managing the use of dwellings as holiday homes, during a meeting on Wednesday, June 25. The SPG was needed to identify a threshold figure for the percentages of permitted properties, to be reviewed annually. The document also provides guidance to help those submitting planning applications, and helps planning officers and park authority members to determine applications relating to the change of use of main and second homes and holiday lets. A figure of 15% had been considered "appropriate" as a threshold figure limiting the number of holiday or second homes in specific areas. In Eryri, the level currently stands at 17.4%, for the whole park. However, 15% for individual areas was said to "reflect policy frameworks" used by other authorities. Data showed the percentage of second homes and short term lets per community council areas. The highest was in Aberdyfi, where 45% of homes were second homes or holiday lets. Among the highest were: Beddgelert at 34.4%, Llanfair; 28.4%, Capel Curig; 24.8%, Betws Garmon; 22%, Betws y Coed; 20.8%, Pennal; 20.6%, Arthog; 19.9%, Brithdir and Llanfachraeth; 19%, Bro Garmon; 19.2%, Llanbedr; 18.9, Talsarnau; 18%, Abermaw; 17.9%, Llanelltyd; 16.9, Dolwyddelan; 16.7% and Harlech; 16.5%. Among the lowest were: Dolgarrog; 1.9%, Llanrwst; 2.5%, Llanddeiniolen; 3.1%, Llanfairfechan; 3.2%, Llangywair; 3.3%, Aber; 3.3%, Llandygai; 3.4%, Penmaenmawr; 4.6%, Conwy; 4.8%, and Bala; 4.9%. During the discussion over the threshold, Cllr Edgar Owen, asked: "So, in Bala, where it's about 4% - does that mean they can now build more holiday homes? "Say, if we build one hundred affordable homes, in addition to what's there, does that mean they can build 15 holiday homes as well? "The number for the park as a whole is 18% so we should stop now, shouldn't we?" Geraint Evans, Planning Officer (Policy), said: "It is important to remember that the guidance recommends with new homes, if they aren't affordable, there should be a requirement set on them so they can't be used as second homes or holiday lets. "If there were 100 homes in Bala, the percentage would go down, because they would not be able to be used as new holiday lets. The percentage in total would reduce." Cllr Elwyn Jones queried the rise and fall of figures in areas, and asked if there would be a review. Director of Planning and Partnerships Keira Sweenie said a review in a year would be "very sensible". She said: "Whatever percentage we agree today, nobody knows what the impact of the guidance will be. "What is important is that we are in a better situation than before Article 4, because, at least now we have some level of control. "There are areas where the numbers will go up and down, depending on trends and people's needs." She added the threshold figure may need to be lowered or raised in the future, and noted that it was important to find "balance" with regard to the visitor economy in the park. She said: "We have not looked at this problem before, the most important thing is, what we have now is an improvement." It was hoped the measures would help bring the numbers down across the park. It was also noted that each application was "judged on its own merit" and that the threshold percentage was only part of the planning considerations. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
North Wales Live
26-06-2025
- General
- North Wales Live
The Gwynedd village where almost half of properties are second homes or holiday lets
Curbs on the use of second homes and holiday lets in Eryri will provide "more control" over the area's housing stock, planning bosses say. It comes as figures show almost half of homes in one village are used as second homes or holiday lets. An Article 4 Direction came into force in the Eryri National Park on June 1, 2025, removing permitted rights over the change of use of main homes to second homes or short term holiday lets, and certain mixed uses. It also removed permitted rights over the change of use from second homes to short term holiday lets, and vice versa. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday Now, Eryri National Park's planning and access committee has approved recommendations over its Draft Supplementary Planning Guidance [SPG], managing the use of dwellings as holiday homes, during a meeting on Wednesday, June 25. The SPG was needed to identify a threshold figure for the percentages of permitted properties, to be reviewed annually. The document also provides guidance to help those submitting planning applications, and helps planning officers and park authority members to determine applications relating to the change of use of main and second homes and holiday lets. A figure of 15% had been considered "appropriate" as a threshold figure limiting the number of holiday or second homes in specific areas. In Eryri, the level currently stands at 17.4%, for the whole park. However, 15% for individual areas was said to "reflect policy frameworks" used by other authorities. Data showed the percentage of second homes and short term lets per community council areas. The highest was in Aberdyfi, where 45% of homes were second homes or holiday lets. Among the highest were: Beddgelert at 34.4%, Llanfair; 28.4%, Capel Curig; 24.8%, Betws Garmon; 22%, Betws y Coed; 20.8%, Pennal; 20.6%, Arthog; 19.9%, Brithdir and Llanfachraeth; 19%, Bro Garmon; 19.2%, Llanbedr; 18.9, Talsarnau; 18%, Abermaw; 17.9%, Llanelltyd; 16.9, Dolwyddelan; 16.7% and Harlech; 16.5%. Among the lowest were: Dolgarrog; 1.9%, Llanrwst; 2.5%, Llanddeiniolen; 3.1%, Llanfairfechan; 3.2%, Llangywair; 3.3%, Aber; 3.3%, Llandygai; 3.4%, Penmaenmawr; 4.6%, Conwy; 4.8%, and Bala; 4.9%. During the discussion over the threshold, Cllr Edgar Owen, asked: "So, in Bala, where it's about 4% - does that mean they can now build more holiday homes? "Say, if we build one hundred affordable homes, in addition to what's there, does that mean they can build 15 holiday homes as well? "The number for the park as a whole is 18% so we should stop now, shouldn't we?" Geraint Evans, Planning Officer (Policy), said: "It is important to remember that the guidance recommends with new homes, if they aren't affordable, there should be a requirement set on them so they can't be used as second homes or holiday lets. "If there were 100 homes in Bala, the percentage would go down, because they would not be able to be used as new holiday lets. The percentage in total would reduce." Cllr Elwyn Jones queried the rise and fall of figures in areas, and asked if there would be a review. Director of Planning and Partnerships Keira Sweenie said a review in a year would be "very sensible". She said: "Whatever percentage we agree today, nobody knows what the impact of the guidance will be. "What is important is that we are in a better situation than before Article 4, because, at least now we have some level of control. "There are areas where the numbers will go up and down, depending on trends and people's needs." She added the threshold figure may need to be lowered or raised in the future, and noted that it was important to find "balance" with regard to the visitor economy in the park. She said: "We have not looked at this problem before, the most important thing is, what we have now is an improvement." It was hoped the measures would help bring the numbers down across the park. It was also noted that each application was "judged on its own merit" and that the threshold percentage was only part of the planning considerations.
Business News Wales
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Cardiff and Vale College Welcomes New Board Members
Left to Right – Dr Jacqui Boddington, Geraint Evans, Louise Thomas, Sharon James Evans and Sally Davis. Two new members have joined the Board of Cardiff and Vale College Corporation. Sally Davis, Principal of Howell's School in Cardiff, and Dr Jaqui Boddington, the former Pro-Vice Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University, have both joined the Board as full Governors. Catrin Bennett, Deputy Headteacher of Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morganwg, and Alex Kennedy of Lightcast have become co-opted Governors in their respective specialist areas of expertise in Welsh Language and Educational Data Analytics. The Board of Governors of Cardiff and Vale College is recruited by Louise Thomas as Head of Group Corporate Governance and chaired by Geraint Evans MBE. He said: 'As the largest further education college group in Wales and the third largest in the UK, our impact is profound with a turnover this year of £135 million. We are making a significant contribution to the economy of the Cardiff Capital Region and more than £1 billion to UK society each year (EMSI). Importantly, we're removing barriers to learning and investing more than £200 million in developing inspirational places to learn, now and for the future. 'With three excellent Estyn inspections over the last few years and an array of prestigious awards, I am proud of our 1,200-strong team and the high-quality provision that they are delivering in response to industry and community needs along with future trend such as AI, digital and green skills. Led by our Group Chief Executive Mike James and College Principal Sharon James Evans, this is an organisation at the very heart of the economic and social fabric of Welsh life and it is the strength of our reputation across the region that continues to attract the highest calibre individuals to the Board. 'Sally, Jaqui, Catrin and Alex all bring valuable expertise and experience, so will no doubt play an important role in steering direction and scrutinising our Group performance. They also share our commitment to ensuring that the learner experience is central to all that we do so we're delighted to welcome them to the team.'
