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Lauritz Melchior was the to begin the fantastic Wagnerian heldentenors (heroic tenors) to sing on information, and he was the very first operatic tenor to sing on radio. His documented legacy is known as a benchmark for all those following Siegfrieds and Tristans. You can just imagine just what a legacy was dropped when he and his wife fled Germany in 1939; his house there was eventually occupied and looted by both German and Russian military and a assortment of unpublished recordings was useful for focus on practice. Contemporary review articles indicated that he was often lax to keep rhythms, and several of his debuts weren’t completely effective, but he previously an extended operatic profession. Melchior started performing young, whenever a boarder in his father’s home who was simply a voice instructor gave Melchior as well as the various other children within the family members performing lessons. He frequently followed his sister (who was simply blind) towards the opera, and from her reactions he discovered how dramatically effective a voice could be, also without stagecraft. Like many Wagnerian and heroic tenors, he began his career being a baritone (and incredibly briefly being a bass), initial learning privately with Paul Bang, and after he changed 21, their studies at the Copenhagen Royal Opera College. His unofficial debut is at 1912 as Germont in La Traviata with a little touring firm, the Zwicki and Stagel Opera Firm, and he produced his formal debut in 1913 as Silvio in I Pagliacci on the Royal Opera. He continued to be there for many seasons, initial in comprimario jobs, and afterwards in major jobs, beginning what appeared as if a solid profession being a Verdi baritone when performing di Luna in Il Trovatore as well as the elder Germont in La Traviata. A colleague noticed him consider an unwritten high C in Il Trovatore one night time and informed the directors from the Royal Opera she noticed the foundation of the heldentenor in Melchior’s tone of voice. The management decided and produced agreements for him to restudy his tone of voice using the tenor Wilhelm Herold. He produced his debut being a tenor in 1918 as Tannhauser, once again on the Copenhagen Royal Opera. Nevertheless, he was still uncertain of his technique and tone of voice. In 1919, a rich patron prompted the conductor Henry Woods to audition him, and he previously his London debut on the Proms in 1920. He found the eye of another patron, Hugh Walpole, the mentioned author, who offered Melchior having a nice allowance to help expand his studies in addition to support his family members. His Covent Backyard debut is at 1924 as Siegmund. He auditioned for Siegfried Wagner (the child from the composer) and produced his Bayreuth debut in 1924 as Parsifal. He continuing to consider leading assignments there, like the renowned 1930 Tristan und Isolde under Toscanini, who dubbed him “Tristanissimo,” until quickly before World Battle II. His Metropolitan debut is at 1926 as Tannhauser and he sang there frequently until 1950, when among Rudolf Bing’s initial activities as general supervisor was to drop to renew his agreement. This was partially for extra-musical factors, including a predilection for useful jokes and showing up on “low brow” locations such as for example radio humor and variety displays with Fred Allen and Bing Crosby, and partially for an evergrowing disinclination to wait lengthy rehearsals. Following this dismissal, Melchior retired in the stage, though he continuing to surface in movies and operettas, sang on the air (including a broadcast from the initial action of Die Walküre from Copenhagen on his 70th birthday), so when section of his very own touring music firm.
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| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Grandfather of Dirk Melchior. |
| 2 | Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording at 1718 Vine Street in Hollywood, California. |
| 3 | Although an acclaimed tenor in his later professional career, he made his debut at the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen as a baritone in "Pagliacci". |
| 4 | Recorded some Richard Wagner arias and duets with Helen Traubel and conductor Arturo Toscanini. |
| 5 | He was the most famous Wagnerian tenor of his time, although he did record arias from other operas such as "Otello" and "I Pagliacci". He sang with both of the leading Wagnerian sopranos of the era, Kirsten Flagstad and Helen Traubel. |
| 6 | Often partnered with American soprano Helen Traubel. |
| 7 | Known for his incredibly high tenor and long-running performances as the bold-faced hero of composer Richard Wagner's best-known, "long-haired" operas, including "Tristan and Isolde" (223), "Tannhauser" (144), "Die Walkure" (183), "Lohengrin" (106), "Siegfried" (128) and "Parsifal" (81). |
| 8 | Debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in "Tannhauser". |
| 9 | Danish opera star who played character parts in MGM musicals in his twilight years. |
| 10 | Father of writer/director Ib Melchior |
| 11 | Died after emergency surgery. |
Actor
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Here's Edie | 1963 | TV Series | |
| Make Room for Daddy | 1959 | TV Series | Otto Nielsen |
| The Stars Are Singing | 1953 | Jan Poldi | |
| Luxury Liner | 1948 | Olaf Eriksen | |
| This Time for Keeps | 1947 | Richard Herald | |
| Two Sisters from Boston | 1946 | Olstrom | |
| Thrill of a Romance | 1945 | Mr. Nils Knudsen |
Soundtrack
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make Room for Daddy | 1959 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| The Stars Are Singing | 1953 | performer: "My Heart is Home", "Because", "Vesti la Giubba" | |
| Luxury Liner | 1948 | performer: "Finale, Act III", "Helan Gar", "Come Back to Sorrento", "Spring came back to Vienna" reprise - uncredited | |
| This Time for Keeps | 1947 | performer: "La donna è mobile", "M'Appari", "Ora è per sempre addio", "Agnus Dei" - uncredited | |
| Two Sisters from Boston | 1946 | performer: "Opera Sequence Marie Antoinette" 1946, "Opera Sequence from 'Lohengrin'" 1850, "Preislied The Prize Song" 1868 - uncredited | |
| Thrill of a Romance | 1945 | performer: "Please Don't Say No, Say Maybe", "Vesti la giubba", "Lonely Night", "Ich Liebe Dich", "Vive L'Amour", "I Want What I Want When I Want It" 1905, "Mattinata" - uncredited |
Self
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Die alte und die neue Met | 1966 | TV Movie | Himself |
| The Merv Griffin Show | 1965 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1964 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
| About Faces | 1960 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Jack Paar Tonight Show | 1959 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Arthur Murray Party | 1952-1959 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Guest |
| Glamorous Hollywood | 1958 | Documentary short | Himself |
| This Is Your Life | 1958 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Lux Show | 1958 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Big Record | 1957 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Spike Jones Show | 1957 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Name's the Same | 1952-1955 | TV Series | Himself - Contestant |
| The Jimmy Durante Show | 1954 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Dave Garroway Show | 1953 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Voice of Firestone | 1950-1952 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | 1950-1952 | TV Series | Himself |
| All Star Revue | 1951 | TV Series | Himself - Guest Opera Tenor |
| What's My Line? | 1951 | TV Series | Himself - Mystery Guest |
| Ford Star Revue | 1951 | TV Series | Himself - Opera Singer |
| Texaco Star Theatre | 1948 | TV Series | Himself - Opera Tenor |
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