I recently read an article about Piero di Palma, the great Italian comprimario tenor who features in so many opera recordings, and it got me thinking about the importance of the comprimario in opera. Obviously leading singers get the limelight and press, but every good opera company needs strong comprimario singers. While a bad comprimario performance is at best an irritation, a good comprimario performance can enhance an opera no end.

So, what are others' thoughts on this most crucial of operatic singers? Any particularly memorable comprimario performances (live or recorded)? Are comprimario singers invariably 'better' actors than star singers because they can't rely on voice alone? And what are the comprimario roles that have made or broken an operatic performance for you?

Egerton would be on my list, too, along with others I remember from the Garden in the 60s/70s; Elizabeth (Bessie) Bainbridge, David Kelly, the Johns (Lanigan and Dobson), Eric Garrett and more I'll remember later: they'd play larger parts in more modern operas, but in standard repertoire they'd be one rung down. Bob Tear was on the cusp of this group, too, though in the early days he wasn't perhaps so much of a convincing actor.