The New Zealand bass-baritone was best known for his thrilling interpretations of Wagner roles.

19 November 2025

The Royal Opera is saddened by the death of the New Zealand bass-baritone Sir Donald McIntyre at the age of 91.  

Donald McIntyre was born in Auckland and studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. He made his operatic debut in 1959 with Welsh National Opera as Zaccaria (Nabucco) and from 1960-67 performed a range of roles with Sadler’s Wells Opera Company. He made his Royal Opera debut in 1967 as Don Pizarro (Fidelio). He returned to sing with the Company nearly every Season thereafter until 1991. His Royal Opera roles included Barak (Die Frau ohne Schatten), Orest (Elektra), Escamillo (Carmen), Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande), Jokanaan (Salome), Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Wotan/Wanderer (Der Ring des Nibelungen), the Boyar Shaklovity (Khovanshchina), Amfortas (Parsifal), the Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer), Ottokar (Der Freischütz), Friedrich von Telramund (Lohengrin), Speaker of the Temple (Die Zauberflöte), Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), High Priest of Brahma (L’Africaine), Doctor (Wozzeck) and Captain Balstrode (Peter Grimes). In 1989 he created the role of Prospero in Luciano Berio’s Un re in ascolto for the Company. He made a surprise return to The Royal Opera in 2005 replacing an indisposed Bryn Terfel at the eleventh hour as Wotan (Das Rheingold).  

McIntyre was perhaps best known for his interpretations of Wagner’s bass-baritone roles. He appeared more than 40 times for the Bayreuth Festival, including as Wotan/Wanderer in the Boulez/Chéreau Der Ring des Nibelungen (1976). He also appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Opera Australia, San Francisco Opera and for many European opera companies, among others. He continued performing well into his 70s, with appearances including Wotan for the 2004 Longborough Festival, Gurnemanz (Parsifal) in New Zealand and the Speaker (Gurre-Lieder) with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and in Greece. His discography includes CDs and DVDs of works by Handel, Berlioz, Wagner, Debussy, Hindemith and Richard Strauss. He received a knighthood in The Queen’s 1992 Birthday Honours.  

Oliver Mears, Director of Opera for The Royal Opera, said:  

‘Donald was one of the truly great bass baritones of the late 20th century, excelling in a massive range of repertoire but most famously, of course, in Wagner. His authoritative, thoughtful interpretations of Wotan at Bayreuth and Covent Garden (amongst many other locations) were always utterly memorable. His legacy in opera, in recordings and in song will last – and he will be sorely missed.’