Arnold Matters

Arnold Matters (Adelaide, 1904 – Adelaide, 1990) was an Australian bass-baritone whose career was built largely in the United Kingdom. He is representative of the generation of Australian singers who sought in Europe the professional path that their own country could not offer them.

After winning the Sun Aria competition in Ballarat, Nellie Melba invited him to sing with her in Melbourne and encouraged him to build a career abroad. He studied in Adelaide with Frederick Bevan and Clive Carey, and in London with W. Johnstone Douglas. From 1932 he sang with the Sadler's Wells Opera, where his voice was matched by a notable gift for the stage; his Falstaff was especially remembered for its humour. His repertoire included Don Giovanni, Hans Sachs and Wotan.

During the war he returned to Australia to serve in an entertainment unit. He rejoined Sadler's Wells in 1944 and, in 1948, sang the title role in the English premiere of Simon Boccanegra. He created the Pilgrim in Vaughan Williams's The Pilgrim's Progress (1951) and Cecil in Britten's Gloriana (1953).

In 1954 he returned to Adelaide to teach at the Elder Conservatorium until 1966, and he directed productions of Tosca and Otello for the 1957 season of the Elizabethan Trust Opera, today Opera Australia. Among his recordings, his Mícha in Prodaná nevěsta under Beecham stands out.