Alfredo Kraus

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. [Kozinn, Allan, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E6D6123DF932A2575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print Obituary: Alfredo Kraus] , "New York Times", September 11, 1999.] 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?" [ Matheopoulos, Helena, "Bravo - The World's Great Male Singers Discuss Their Roles", 1989, Victor Gollancz Ltd., pp. 111-116]

Early years

Kraus was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain. 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.

Career

In 1956, Kraus made his professional operatic debut in Cairo as the Duke in "Rigoletto", which became one of his signature roles. 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.

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. He made his American debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1962, and his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1966 in "Rigoletto" (the last performance there in 1994, also in "Rigoletto").

In subsequent decades, Kraus extended his repertoire to include more Italian operas such as "Lucrezia Borgia", "La fille du régiment", "Linda di Chamounix", "Don Pasquale" 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". 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. He also performed in some very well-known works, such as "Don Giovanni", "Tales of Hoffman" and "Faust".

Kraus came to be virtually synonymous with such lyric tenor roles as Werther, Faust, Don Ottavio ("Don Giovanni"), Nemorino, and Arturo. He was also known for his performances of lighter music, notably "zarzuela" and Spanish folk songs, which he recorded on his own label, Carillon.

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. Students of this famous soprano include: Anna Moffo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Ivo Vinco, Renata Scotto, Greek soprano Elena Souliotis, and Venezuelan soprano Cecilia Núñez Albanese. 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.

In 1991, Kraus was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award. 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.

References

*Forbes, Elizabeth, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990914/ai_n14253926/print Obituary: Alfredo Kraus] , "The Independent", September 14, 1999.

*Hamilton, David. (1987). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#kq 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". 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". London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 13, p. 874-5. ISBN 0-333-60800-3.

*Rosenthal, Harold and John Warrack. (1979, 2nd ed.). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#ko 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.). " [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog7.shtml#kp The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera] ". New York: Oxford University Press. p. 271. ISBN 0-19-280028-0.

External links

* [http://www.auditorio-alfredokraus.com/webe/aud.htm The Alfredo Kraus Auditorium]
* [http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLSIKRAU.HTM Discography] (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
* [http://html.rincondelvago.com/alfredo-kraus.html Biography and discography] (in Spanish)