A distinguished knight of opera - Sir Thomas Allen

5:34pm Thursday 1st May 2008

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Have I ever told about the day I had lunch with Sir Thomas Allen?

It was in the 1990s at The Samling, which is nestled on the border of Ambleside and Windermere, then home to the excellent Samling Foundation, and owned by Roger McKechnie former co-owner Derwent Valley Foods, makers of the hugely successful Phileas Fogg crisps.

Tom was holding masterclasses for rising young stars of the opera world.

I'd been invited for a bite to eat by The Samling's artistic director, Karon Wright, a tireless worker for the foundation, who traipsed with great energy and commitment across from the North East a lot of the time, to work from the Dove Nest location.

To be honest, we didn't get the chance to chat for too long, as the distinguished knight of opera had plenty on his plate, so to speak, with six rising stars awaiting his guidance.

It was the first of many thoroughly magical visits that I made.

The Samling is absolutely gorgeous, an exclusive hotel and a fabulous retreat, which around that time played host to Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

It also had a stone barn detached from the main house at the end of a drive, which Roger had converted into a small theatre for invited audiences to see intimate recitals and readings, some of which included performances from Tom, who was a good friend and patron of the foundation, and still is.

On the many, magical Samling nights that I attended the drive was lit along the way with candles and as you strolled down with views of the lake to your right it felt like something out of a fairytale.

Anyway, Tom was the perfect gentlemen and fascinating to watch.

A consummate professional and outstanding baritone, it was enthralling to see him put his gifted scholars through their paces.

The series of classes, held over a week, would conclude more often than not with a Saturday evening performance.

Tom would also work alongside another well-known name from the operatic world, Patricia MacMahon.

I remember one night when actress Emily Woof, the daughter of the late, great Robert Woof of the Wordsworth Trust, give a reading from a Thomas Hardy novel, which was fantastic.

The Samling Foundation has been working with some of the world's greatest artists since 1996, nurturing outstanding young professionals as they embark upon their careers.

It has been hugely successfully and testament to what can be achieved when you bring together top artists, talented young professional singers and school children and has provided genuinely life-changing experiences through its projects and outreach work.

Roger is a trustee of The Samling Foundation, which these days holds many of its events at the Sage at Gateshead, and Karon remains the artistic director.

So, you might ask, where's all the above leading?

Well, it's to put you in the picture about Tom's new CD out on the Chandos Opera in English series, entitled Great Operatic Arias.

And it isgreat!

It opens with one of my favourites - Papageno's aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute, I'm sure that there could never be, and goes on to cover arias from The Marriage of Figaro, Falstaff, Don Giovanni and more.

'Is there a more contented man than me?'