Baritone with an appealing tonal quality who was an enterprising explorer of song and more than 70 roles in opera
The Scottish baritone Henry Herford, who has died aged 79, was notable for the breadth of his repertoire – offering sterling performances of often neglected works – and his warm, appealing tonal quality.
He began his career in the Glyndebourne Opera Chorus (1977-78). In those years he also impressed in small solo roles, as a well-projected, spontaneous Forester in Cunning Little Vixen and the Speaker in Magic Flute. He returned to Glyndebourne in 1981 as a fiery Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and with a powerfully delivered Boris Pasternak (a key figure who narrates the action) in Nigel Osborne’s Electrification of the Soviet Union (1987-88).
