Description

THOMAS (TOM) BURKE (LEIGH, LANCASHIRE, 1890 – LEIGH, 1969)

He sang as a boy in the church choir of his hometown, then studied singing under Amy Sherwin in London and under Ernesto Colli and Fernando de Lucia in Italy. In 1917, he debuted at the Teatro Lirico in Milan as the Duke in Rigoletto. During the First World War, he performed in various Italian opera houses, especially in Naples and Palermo. In 1919, he was engaged by Covent Garden in London, where he sang in the lyrical Italian repertoire and took part in the English premieres of Puccini’s Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi in 1920. That same year, he also sang in an important performance of Borodin’s Prince Igor. In 1925, he made a guest appearance on a North American tour at the Chicago Opera. Until 1928, he continued to perform at Covent Garden and with several smaller English opera troupes. In 1928, he sang at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo as Rodolfo in La Bohème and at the Opéra-Comique in Paris (under the name Tom Burke) as Cavaradossi in Tosca. After his retirement, he lived in his hometown, Leigh.

Chronology of some appearances

1917 Milan Teatro Lirico Rigoletto

1919 London Covent Garden Prince Igor

1920 London Covent Garden Il Tabarro

1920 London Covent Garden Gianni Schicchi

1928 Opéra de Monte-Carlo

1928 Paris Opéra-Comique

TRACKLIST

1. Rigoletto (Verdi): Questa o quella 7346 76406  Columbia 1920/1921
2. Rigoletto (Verdi): La donna e mobile 7346 76405 Columbia 1920/1921
3. Aida (Verdi): Celeste Aida 7347 76547 Columbia 1920/1921
4. Boheme (Puccini): Che gelida manina 7347 76599 Columbia 1920/1921
5. Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia 7200 76366 Columbia 1920/1921
6. Manon (Massenet): Le reve 7204 76402 Columbia 1920/1921
7. Kathleen Mavourneen (Crouch) 33007 140913 Columbia
8. Killamey (Balfe) 33007 140914 Columbia
9. The snowy-breasted pearl (Robinson) 536D 141250  Columbia
10. The Irish emigrant (Barker) 5361 141251 Columbia
11. Tosca (Puccini): E lucevan le stelle D15930  Columbia 1927
12. Turandot (Puccini): Nessun dorma D15930 A6145 Columbia 1927
13. The minstrel boy (Trad.) D1594 A5659 Columbia 1927
14. Esmerelda (Goring-Thomas): O vision entrancing  L1951 AX2881 Columbia 1927
15. My dreams (Tosti) L1951 WAX 2865 Columbia 1927
16. Serse (Handel): Ombra mai fu C345 1627 Dominion 1929
17. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba Z125 TI176 Imperial
18. Stormalong (Shanty) 3219 Imperial
19. Serenata (Toselli) Z120 160A Imperial
20. Dorothy (Cellier): Queen of my heart Z121 173 Imperial
21. Excelsior (Balfe): Duo with Foster Richardson Z144 T210 Imperial
22. O sole mio (Du Capua) Z144 TI209 Imperial