Philip Langridge | British tenor, 70

Philip Langridge, 70, a British tenor who won praise for his vocal versatility and subtle characterization, died Friday in London after a short battle with cancer, the Royal Opera House said yesterday.

Composer Harrison Birtwistle said "his death leaves a large hole in the world's music."

Mr. Langridge began his career as an orchestral violinist, but turned to singing, making his professional operatic debut in Richard Strauss' Capriccio at the Glyndebourne festival in 1964.

He went on to perform all over the world and had a long association with the Royal Opera. His roles there included Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro and Loge in Wagner's Das Rheingold.

One of his last roles was as the witch in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in December.

Among his many prizes were two Grammy Awards, for recordings of "Peter Grimes" and Arnold Schoenberg's "Moses und Aron."

- AP