Description

RICHARD ALEXANDER CROOKS (TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, JUNE 26, 1900 – PORTOLA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, SEPTEMBER 29, 1972)

He first gained attention as a boy soprano in a church choir and later served in the American Air Corps during World War I. After the war, he studied with Frank La Forge, Léon Rothier, and Sidney Bourne in New York. He became a soloist at the Presbyterian church in New York and, despite financial difficulties, declined to appear in the musical The Student Prince on Broadway.

His career took off in 1923 when he achieved sensational success by performing in nine concerts with the New York Symphony Orchestra under Walter Damrosch. In 1926, he embarked on a European concert tour, and in 1927 he made his operatic stage debut at the Stadttheater in Hamburg as Cavaradossi in Tosca. That same year, he performed the tenor solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony under Toscanini in New York and in 1928 took part in the American premiere of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde under Willem Mengelberg.

Following guest appearances in Berlin, Riga (1928), Warsaw, Prague, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and various venues in Holland, Belgium, and England, he joined the Philadelphia Opera in 1930, debuting once again as Cavaradossi in Tosca. His career continued with great success at the Metropolitan Opera in New York from 1933 to 1946, where he debuted as Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon. During his time at the Met, he appeared in 51 performances across nine roles, including Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Faust, Alfredo in La Traviata, Wilhelm Meister in Mignon, and Carlo in Linda di Chamounix.

In addition to his Met career, he performed at the opera houses of Chicago (1940-1943) and San Francisco (1934), and made guest appearances in Australia in 1936 and 1938. He even embarked on concert tours in Africa. He retired from the stage in 1946, after a distinguished and far-reaching career.

TRACKLIST

1. A Dream (Cory – Bartlett) 4000-B Victor 11 9 1926
2. A little Love, a Little Kiss (Ross) 1691-B Victor 3 13 1933
3. Absent (Glenn – Metcalf) 4000-A Victor 11 8 1926
4. Aida (Verdi) Holde Aida E.J. 345 Electrola
5. Arise O Sun (Lockton – Days) D.A. 1449 OA87877 HMV 6 27 1935
6. Because (Teschemachar – d’Hardelot) 1497-B Victor 6 13 1930
7. Bird Songs at Eventide (Barry – Coates) DA 1536 OAA 6 HMV
8. Carmen (Bizet) Hier am Herzen E.J. 345 Electrola
9. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola, rosengleich blüh’n deine Wangen E. W. 75 Electrola
10. Colleen Aroon (Lily Strickland) 45373-A Victor 7 24 1923
11. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Morgenlich leuchtend 2-042030 A 37305 HMV
12. Elegie (Massenet) 11-8490-B Victor
13. Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Heimlich stahl aus ihrem Auge E. W. 76 Electrola
14. For Love Alone (Seiver – Thayer) I have so little to give D.A.1436 OA92544 HMV 6 28 1935
15. Garden of Happiness (Lockton) D.A.1449 OA87396 HMV 1 17 1935
16. Gypsy Moon (Borganoff) 1618-A Victor
17. I Bring a Love Song (Hammerstein – Romberg) 1500-B Victor 9 31 930
18. Irish Love Song (Margaret R. Lang) 45373-B Victor 7 24 1923
19. Just To Linger In Your Arms (Arnold) 1618-B Victor
20. Lohengrin (Wagner) In fernem Land 2-042031 A 37306 HMV