Alfredo Kraus | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Genres | opera |
| Instruments | tenor |
Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (Spanish pronunciation:[alˈfɾeðokɾawstɾuˈxiʎo]; 24 November 1927 – 10 September 1999) was a distinguishedSpanishtenor from theCanary Islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought toopera'sbel canto roles.[1] He was also considered an outstanding interpreter of the title role inMassenet's operaWerther, and especially of its famousaria "Pourquoi me réveiller?"[2]
Kraus was born inLas Palmas de Gran Canaria. His father wasAustrian and his mother was Spanish. He began his musical career with piano lessons at the age of four, and he sang in the school choir by age eight. His older brother,Francisco Kraus Trujillo, abaritone, studied music and opera alongside him.
After refining his technique singing Spanishzarzuela on stage inMadrid andBarcelona, Kraus made his professional opera debut inCairo in 1956 as the Duke inRigoletto, which became one of his signature roles. In 1958, he sang Alfredo at theTeatro Nacional de São Carlos inLisbon in a production ofLa traviata withMaria Callas, a live recording of which was later released.
Kraus made hisCovent Garden debut as Edgardo inLucia di Lammermoor in 1959 and hisLa Scala debut as Elvino inLa sonnambula in 1960. He made his American debut withLyric Opera of Chicago in 1962, and hisMetropolitan Opera debut in 1966 inRigoletto, the role of his last performance there in 1994.
In subsequent decades, Kraus extended his repertoire to include more Italian operas such asLucrezia Borgia,La fille du régiment,Linda di Chamounix,Don Pasquale andLa favorita byDonizetti; and French operas such asRoméo et Juliette,Les contes d'Hoffmann,Faust andLakmé, while continuing to sing his hallmark roles ofWerther and of Des Grieux inManon. He also recorded a number of rarely performed French operas includingLa jolie fille de Perth andLes pêcheurs de perles, both byGeorges Bizet, andLa muette de Portici byDaniel Auber. He also performed in some very well known works, such asDon Giovanni andFaust.
Kraus came to be virtually synonymous with suchlyric tenor roles as Werther, Faust, Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni),Nemorino, andArturo. He was also known for his performances of Spanish music, notably many classics from thezarzuela repertoire, which he continued to perform live on stage in Spain until the end of his career, and many of which he recorded complete forEMI Spain as well as for his own label, Carillon.
Thanks to his superlative technique and careful husbanding of his vocal resources, Kraus sang onstage until his early 70s. He studied voice technique in Milan withMercedes Llopart.
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. 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 theTeatro Colón inBuenos Aires, Teatro Municipal inCaracas,Teatro Municipal inSantiago, Chile,Teatro Municipal inRio de Janeiro, and theLiceu inBarcelona.
In 1991, Kraus was awarded thePrince of Asturias Award. In 1997, his home city ofLas Palmas de Gran Canaria opened TheAlfredo Kraus Auditorium in his honor.
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 10 September 1999 inMadrid, at the age of 71, after a long illness.
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