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Ivar Andrésen

Perhaps one of the most imposing Wagnerian basses from the twentieth hundred years, Ivar Andrésen sang in lots of from the world’s main opera centers. A genuine bass, his substantial, yet beautiful tone of voice commanded attention even though his interpretations and motion tended toward the phlegmatic. His performances in London and NY with the Bayreuth Festival had been celebrated and his early loss of life represented a substantial loss to many opera houses. A lot of his many recordings remain thought to be definitive, both in the Wagnerian repertory and somewhere else. After vocal and theatrical research in Stockholm, Ivar Andrésen produced his operatic debut on the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 1919 in the function from the Ruler in Verdi’s Aida. Shortly, he was involved with the Dresden Opera where he quickly obtained an enviable popularity for his interpretations of the fantastic Wagnerian bass assignments. In 1925, he joined up with the Berlin Condition Opera. Andrésen produced his debut at London’s Covent Backyard in the Apr to July 1928 Grand Opera period. He sang in Götterdämmerung, Die Meistersinger, Tannhäconsumer, and Die Walküre and was considered “a suitable antagonist” towards the Brünnhilde of Frida Leider in the first-named of the functions. In Tannhäconsumer, Andrésen was designated for having “produced a lot of the Landgrave.” In 1929, Andrésen was back London alternating with Alexander Kipnis as Hagen, Pogner in Meistersinger and Ruler Marke in Tristan und Isolde, and commencing the entire work of Ruler Heinrichs in Lohengrin. His third yr at Covent Backyard once more provided his Hagen and Hunding, while 1931 (his last season there) noticed him coming back as Hagen, Heinrich, Ruler Marke, and Hunding. Furthermore, he was noticed for the very first time within a non-Wagnerian function, essaying Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte beneath the command of Bruno Walter. In 1935, he repeated his magisterial Sarastro on the Glyndebourne Celebration, and added Osmin to his period there. Andrésen’s engagement at Bayreuth expanded from 1927 to 1936. With shows as Ruler Marke, Fasolt, the Landgrave, Gurnemanz, and Pogner, he produced sufficient influence to earn for himself the name of Kammersänger, an honor reserved for one of the most esteemed performers. In 1930 and 1931, Andrésen made an appearance at Bayreuth beneath the baton of Arturo Toscanini in what had been hailed as defining shows. A complete documenting (albeit with many cuts) from the Tannhäconsumer production was produced, but with Karl Elmendorff changing the Italian conductor. While protecting Andrésen’s granitic Landgrave, the documenting also captured within their particular primes Maria Müller as Elisabeth as well as the matchless Herbert Janssen as Wolfram, probably his greatest function. Andrésen’s involvement in Toscanini’s 1931 Parsifal was another eminent accomplishment. Meanwhile, Andrésen acquired produced himself a respected addition on the Metropolitan Opera in NY. At his debut in November 1930, his Daland in Der fliegende Holländer drew this NY Situations comment: “He sang and acted with vigor and commanding sincerity.” A January 1931 Lohengrin also obtained him glowing evaluations, each noting his dignity of carriage and vocal specialist. The 1931 — 1932 time of year brought a efficiency of Hagen specifically praised because of its tremendous power. Apart from the more-or-less full Tannhäconsumer, Andrésen recorded a sigificant number of arias and tracks. His recordings, rarely from the catalog, had been first used in vinyl and, later on, to Compact disc format. Andrésen’s moments from Götterdämmerung and Parsifal, and his richly tapestried readings of Sarastro’s arias are unparalleled and equaled by only 4 or 5 other basses from the recording era.

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