Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (24 September 1927 – 10 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor of Austrian descent, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Bel canto ( Bel-Canto) ( Italian, "beautiful singing" an Italian musical term refers to the art and science of vocal technique which originated in [1] He was also considered an outstanding interpreter of the title role in Massenet's opera Werther, and especially of its famous aria, "Pourquoi me réveiller?"[2]
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Early years
Kraus was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain. Jules (Émile Frédéric Massenet ( May 12, 1842 – August 13, 1912) was a French composer best known for his Operas Werther is an Opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French Libretto by Édouard Blau, This article is about the musical term "aria" For other meanings or uses of the word see Aria (disambiguation. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. He began his musical career at age four, when he took piano lessons, and he sang in the school choir by age eight. His older brother, Francisco Kraus Trujillo, a baritone, studied music and opera alongside him. Francisco Kraus Trujillo (born October 21, 1926) is a Spanish baritone This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type.
Career
In 1956, Kraus made his professional operatic debut in Cairo as the Duke in Rigoletto, which became one of his signature roles. Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. Rigoletto is an Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian Libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based In 1958, he sang Alfredo at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon in a production of La Traviata with Maria Callas, a live recording of which was later released. The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, pron. ti'atɾu nɐsiu'naɫ dɨ sɐ̃ũ 'kaɾluʃ is an Opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. La traviata is an Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.
Kraus made his Covent Garden debut as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959 and his La Scala debut as Elvino in La Sonnambula in 1960. WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico (tragic Opera) in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala, as it is known in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous Opera houses The theatre was La sonnambula ( The Sleepwalker) is an Opera semiseria in two acts music by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian Libretto by Felice He made his American debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1962, and his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1966 in Rigoletto. Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading Opera companies in the United States. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera.
In subsequent decades, Kraus extended his repertoire to include more Italian operas such as Lucrezia Borgia, La fille du régiment, Linda di Chamounix and La favorita by Donizetti; and French operas such as Roméo et Juliette, Les contes d'Hoffmann , Faust and Lakmé, while continuing to sing his hallmark roles of Werther and of Des Grieux in Manon. Lucrezia Borgia is a Melodramma, or Opera, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. La fille du régiment ( The Daughter of the Regiment) is an Opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Linda di Chamounix is a Melodramma semiserio in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. La favorite ( The Favorite) is an Opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French Libretto by Alphonse Royer and Roméo et Juliette ( Romeo and Juliet) is an Opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes Lakmé is an Opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French Libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille, based on the Werther is an Opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French Libretto by Édouard Blau, Manon is an Opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based He also recorded a number of rarely performed French operas including La jolie fille de Perth and Les pêcheurs de perles, both by Georges Bizet, and La muette de Portici by Daniel Auber. La jolie fille de Perth (The Fair Maid of Perth is an opera in four acts by Georges Bizet (1838&ndash1875 from a Libretto by Jules-Henri Les pêcheurs de perles ( The Pearl Fishers) is an Opera in three acts by Georges Bizet, to a Libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875 was a French Composer and Pianist of the Romantic era La muette de Portici ( The mute girl of Portici) originally entitled Masaniello ou La muette de Portici, is an Opera in five acts Daniel François Esprit Auber ( January 29, 1782 – May 13, 1871) was a French Composer. He also performed in some very well-known works, such as Don Giovanni, Tales of Hoffman and Faust. Don Giovanni ( K527; complete title Il dissoluto punito ossia il Don Giovanni, literally "The Rake Punish'd or Don Giovanni Faust is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play
Kraus came to be virtually synonymous with such lyric tenor roles as Werther, Faust, Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Nemorino, and Arturo. A voice type is a particular kind of human Singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics L'elisir d'amore ( The Elixir of Love) is a Melodramma giocoso in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. I puritani ( The Puritans) is an Opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. He was also known for his performances of lighter music, notably zarzuela and Spanish folk songs, which he recorded on his own label, Carillon. Zarzuela (θarˈθwela in Spain in Latin America is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes the latter incorporating Operatic
Technique
Thanks to his superlative technique and careful husbanding of his vocal resources, Kraus sang onstage well into his early 70s. He studied voice technique in Milan with Mercedes Llopart. Mercedes Llopart (b1895 Barcelona, - d 2 Sep[[ 970]] Milan) was a popular Spanish Soprano who later became a successful teacher Students of this famous soprano include: Anna Moffo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Ivo Vinco, Renata Scotto, Greek soprano Elena Souliotis, and Venezuelan soprano Cecilia Núñez Albanese. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Anna Moffo (June 27 1932 - March 9 2006 was an Italian-American Opera singer one of the leading dramatic-coloratura Sopranos of her era she possessed a warm and Fiorenza Cossotto is an Italian Mezzo soprano. She is considered by many to be one of the great mezzo-sopranos of the 20th century Renata Scotto (born February 24, 1934) is an Italian Soprano. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Elena Souliotis (sometimes spelled Suliotis) ( 28 May, 1943, Athens, Greece - 4 December, 2004, Florence Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the
Kraus was also noted for extremely refined musicianship, accompanied by a seemingly effortless high register. As a result, many opera connoisseurs consider him to be one of the best tenors of the end of the 20th century. Several interviews with Kraus show him to be an intelligent man with a great deal of thought behind the artistic choices in his roles. He was admired for his cultivated musical education and his complete respect for his chosen profession. His first priority was the integrity of his artistic interpretation of a piece, rather than his formidable range and excellent technique.
He performed all over the world, including Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal in Caracas, Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile, Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, and Liceu in Barcelona. The Teatro Colón ( Spanish) ( Colón Theatre) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is one of the world's major Opera houses Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern Caracas (kaˈɾakas is the Capital and largest city of Venezuela. Santiago ( (litteraly in spanish Saint James) is the Capital of Chile, and the center of its largest Conurbation ( Greater Santiago One of the most beautiful buildings in downtown Rio de Janeiro, the Teatro Municipal was founded in July 1909 Rio de Janeiro ("River of January" ˈhiw dʒi ʒʌˈnejɾu in Brazilian Portuguese, /ˈriːoʊ di ʒəˈnɛroʊ/ in English is the second largest city of Brazil Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia
In 1991, Kraus was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award. The Prince of Asturias Awards ( Spanish: Premios Príncipe de Asturias, Asturian: Premios Príncipe d'Asturies) is a series of prestigious annual In 1997, his home city of Las Palmas opened The Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in his honor.
Later years
The loss of his wife in 1997 affected Kraus so deeply that he stopped performing for eight months. A proud and strong-willed man, he eventually returned to the stage and to teaching. He said, “I don't have the will for singing but I must do it, because, in a sense, it is a sign that I have overcome the tragedy. Singing is a form of admitting that I'm alive. "
Kraus died on September 10, 1999 in Madrid, at the age of 71, after a long illness. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain.
References
- ^ Kozinn, Allan, Obituary: Alfredo Kraus, New York Times, September 11, 1999.
- ^ Matheopoulos, Helena, Bravo - The World's Great Male Singers Discuss Their Roles, 1989, Victor Gollancz Ltd. , pp. 111-116
- Forbes, Elizabeth, Obituary: Alfredo Kraus, The Independent, September 14, 1999. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media.
- Hamilton, David. (1987). The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of Opera. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo: Simon and Schuster. p. 182. ISBN 0-671-61732-X.
- Sadie, Stanley and Christina Bashford. (1992). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an Encyclopedia of Opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. p. 1039 ISBN 0-935859-92-6.
- Sadie, Stanley and John Tyrrell. (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an Encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 13, p. 874-5. ISBN 0-333-60800-3.
- Rosenthal, Harold and John Warrack. (1979, 2nd ed. ). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. London, New York and Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 265. ISBN 0-19-311318-X.
- Warrack, John and Ewan West. (1996 3rd ed. ). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 271. ISBN 0-19-280028-0.
External links
- The Alfredo Kraus Auditorium
- Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
- Biography and discography (in Spanish)
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