Alfredo Kraus

Alfredo Kraus ( * November 24, 1927 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, † September 10, 1999 in Madrid) was a Spanish singer and singing teacher. He was an important representative of the lyric tenor times.

Life and career

Alfredo Kraus was the son of a Spanish mother and an Austrian father. At the age of four he got piano lessons at age eight, he sang in the school choir. He started after school initially an engineering degree, then decided, however, pursue the singing career and began vocal training. He concluded from this in the singer and singing teacher Mercedes Llopart in Milan.

1956 Kraus had his stage debut in Cairo as the Duke in Rigoletto, one of his roles was characteristic. In 1958 he sang in Lisbon Alfredo in La traviata at the side of Maria Callas, a live recording of which was released later.

Making his first appearance at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden had Kraus in 1959 with the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor as a partner of Joan Sutherland. At La Scala he made his debut - also in 1959 - in the role of Elvino in La sonnambula and the Fenice in Venice with Renata Scotto. His debut in the United States, he studied at the Chicago Lyric Opera (1962). Soon after, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as the Duke in Rigoletto ( 1966).

Kraus was an outstanding representative of the lyric tenor multiple roles like Werther, Romeo, Faust, Arturo, Elvino, Nemorino and Tonio. Furthermore, he became acquainted with performances of lighter music, especially with zarzuela, a Spanish operetta form.

He later taught at a private music school singing, holding some masterclasses in Italy from. The late 1950s until the early 1960s, he starred in several Spanish films, such as 1959 in Gayarre, a film about the life of the Spanish tenor Julián Gayarre. Kraus remained until his early seventies in the full possession of his vocal resources present on stage.

Properties as a tenor, meaning

Many opera lovers and professionals consider singing Alfredo Kraus as one of the best tenors of the twentieth century. His slightly nasal timbre shrouded predestined him especially for the roles of the French repertoire. Kraus was one of the few tenors who puritani reached the high D in the famous duet Vieni fra queste braccia from Bellini's opera I and therefore could sing the plant in original position. As Tenore di grazia he is next to Tito Schipa as unrivaled.

Recordings

The major record companies offered him a long time little opportunity to present his voice to a wider audience. Probably for this reason, probably published by any other opera tenor of the past decades such many live recordings on the "gray" record market. He himself founded in the early 1960s in Spain own record company ( " Carillon "). This made it possible for him einzuspielen some recitals.

Vocal experts and critics such as Jürgen Kesting and John Steane appreciate recordings of Alfredo Kraus as belonging to the most beautiful and best of what was recorded in the course of recording history of great art of singing.

Honors

Discography (selection)

Recitals

  • Alfredo Kraus Gayarre
  • Arie Antiche ( Scarlatti, Handel, Gluck and others)
  • Alfredo Kraus - Songs Recital ( Donizetti, Mascagni, Verdi, and others)
  • Non più t'amo ( Tosti songs )
  • Cantares ( Spanish art songs)
  • Rêve d' Amour ( French songs )
  • Granada ( Spanish song)
  • The Incomparable Alfredo Kraus ( aria recital, taken at the age of 67 years )

Complete recordings

  • Rigoletto ( Duca ), three versions and DVD
  • La traviata ( Alfredo ), three versions
  • I Puritani ( Arturo )
  • La Fille du Régiment ( Tonio )
  • Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo ), CD and DVD
  • Werther ( title role )
  • Manon ( Des Grieux )
  • Lucrezia Borgia ( Gennaro )
  • La Muette de Portici ( Masaniello )
  • Roméo et Juliette ( Romeo )
  • Doña Francisquita ( Fernando )
  • Così fan tutte ( Ferrando )
  • Don Pasquale ( Ernesto )
  • Mefistofele ( fist)
  • Les perles de pêcheurs ( nadir)
  • Faust ( Faust )
  • La favorita ( Fernando )
  • Falstaff ( Fenton )
  • La Sonnambula ( Elvino )
  • Linda di Chamounix (Carlo II, visconte di Sirval )
  • Marina ( Jorge )
  • La jolie fille de Perth ( Henri Smith)
  • Don Giovanni ( Don Ottavio )
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