Description

GUNNARD GRAARUD (HOLMESTRAND, NORWAY  1 JUNE 1886 – STUTTGART, GERMANY  6 DECEMBER 1960)

He was one of the leading opera singers of his time. Originally he wanted to become an engineer and studied at the Technical College in Karlsruhe. He studied singing under Husler and Kurt von Zawilowski in Berlin and made his debut in 1919 at the Theater in Kaiserslautern, then in the 1920-1922 seasons sang at the National Theater in Mannheim. From 1923 to 1925 he was a soloist of the Berlin people’s Opera. Then he continued his career at the German Opera-House in Berlin (1925-1926) and in the 1926-1929 seasons appeared at the Municipal Theater of Hamburg, where he performed in the premiere of E. W. Korngolds’s opera ‘’Das Wunder der Heliane’’ (7. 10. 1927). At the Bayreuth festival he appeared in the 1927-1928 season as Tristan, in the 1930-1931 season as Siegmund, in 1930 as Siegfried and in the 1930-1931 season as Parsifal. In the 1929-1937 seasons he was a member of Vienna State Opera. At the Grand Opéra in Paris he sang in 1928 the part of Tristan and Siegmund. He also made successful guest appearances at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (Tristan, 1932) and at the Covent Garden in London, where he sang the part of  Herodes in ‘’Salome’’ (1936). In 1931 he gave glittering Wagner concerts in Paris and Brussels. He guested at the opera houses of Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. At the Salzburg festival he appeared as Ägisth in ‘’Elektra’’ of R. Strauss (1934) and as Corregidor in Hugo Wolf’s opera of the same name (1936). Late he taught at the Music Academy of Vienna.

TRACKLIST

1. Fidelio (Beethoven) Gott welch Dunkel hier 62510 3629½ar Polydor
2. Ideale (Tosti) 62376 1458ar Polydor
3. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Begehrt, Herrin, was ihr wünscht (w. Larsén-Todsen) DWX1277 AX3942 Columbia
4. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Betrug auch hier (w. Larsén-Todsen & Helm) DWX1279 AX3945 Columbia
5. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Dem Tage! Dem Tage (w. Larsén-Todsen) DWX1282 3975 Columbia
6. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Geleitest du mich (w. Larsén-Todsen) DWX1278 AX3944 Columbia
7. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Isolde! – Tristan, Geliebter! (w. Larsén-Todsen) DWX1281 3974 Columbia
8. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Nicht da war’s, wo ich Tantris barg (w. Larsén-Todsen) DWX1277 AX3970 Columbia
9. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Was stürbe dem Tod (w. Larsén-Todsen & Helm) L2199 AX3981 Columbia
10. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Was träumte mir (w. Larsén-Todsen, Helm & Bockelmann) DWX1279 AX3946 Columbia
11. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Dem Neid, den mir der Tag erweckt (w. Larsén-Todsen) L2197 AX3976 Columbia
12. Tristan and Isolde (Wagner) Neid’sche Wache (w. Larsén-Todsen) AX3980  L2199 Columbia