William Boland Suggest updates
Born Birmingham, 1884.
Died Croydon, September 1953.
English tenor.
William Boland was a mainstay of several British companies in the early decades of the twentieth century. He appeared with the O' Mara, Carl Rosa and BNOC organisations, giving several performances at Covent Garden in the twenties. He was highly versatile, singing a range of leading roles, though he was especially useful in the large number of Wagner operas these companies all mounted. He also performed regularly in concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
On the continent, he sang at Budapest (Royal Opera House), Dresden (Staatsoper), Vienna (Volksoper) and Prague (both National Theatre and German Theatre).
He made several recordings, including three mentioned in a review in Opera (July 1983), from The Creation, The Lily of Killarney and Lohengrin. He was described by Lord Harewood as having a “basically fine voice” and “genuine authority”. These recordings have not yet been issued on CD.
Roles in Scotland
- Froh god of joy and youth
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Rheingold 1910
- Faust a learned doctor
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Faust 1915
Faust 1924
Faust 1929
- Tannhäuser a knight and minnesinger
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Tannhäuser 1915
Tannhäuser 1917
Tannhäuser 1918
Tannhäuser 1919
Tannhäuser 1920
Tannhäuser 1921
Tannhäuser 1928
Tannhäuser 1930
- Manrico a chieftain under the Prince of Biscay
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Trovatore 1915
Trovatore 1919
Trovatore 1924
Trovatore 1929
Trovatore 1930
- Tristan a Cornish knight
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Tristan und Isolde 1917
Tristan und Isolde 1920
- Turiddu a young soldier
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Cavalleria Rusticana 1918
- Don José a corporal of dragoons
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Carmen 1918
Carmen 1919
Carmen 1920
Carmen 1927
Carmen 1936
- Hoffmann a poet
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Tales of Hoffmann 1918
Tales of Hoffmann 1919
Tales of Hoffmann 1920
Tales of Hoffmann 1924
- Dante
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Dante and Beatrice 1918
- Lieutenant F B Pinkerton U S Navy
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Madam Butterfly 1919
Madam Butterfly 1922
Madam Butterfly 1928
Madam Butterfly 1930
- Don Caesar de Bazan
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Maritana 1919
Maritana 1920
Maritana 1924
Maritana 1928
Maritana 1930
- Yanik
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Stella Maris 1920
- Gennaro a blacksmith
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Jewels of the Madonna 1920
- Siegmund a Volsung
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Valkyrie 1921
Valkyrie 1922
Valkyrie 1927
Valkyrie 1928
Valkyrie 1929
- Radamès Captain of the Guard
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Aïda 1921
Aïda 1922
Aïda 1924
- Lohengrin a knight
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Lohengrin 1921
Lohengrin 1924
- Mario Cavaradossi a painter
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Tosca 1922
- Canio leader of the players
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Pagliacci 1922
Pagliacci 1924
Pagliacci 1925
Pagliacci 1928
Pagliacci 1929
- Parsifal a youth
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Parsifal 1922
- Walther von Stolzing a young knight
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Mastersingers of Nuremberg 1922
- Siegfried son of Siegmund and Sieglinde
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Siegfried 1922
Siegfried 1929
Siegfried 1930
- Florestan a Spanish nobleman
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Fidelio 1924
- Samson
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Samson and Delilah 1924
- Talmaae a priest
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Thaïs and Talmaae 1929
- Helion a gladiator
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Messalina 1930
- Loge god of fire and cunning
-
Rhinegold 1930