George London
George London was one of the most celebrated singing actors of his generation, with an imposing stage presence. In addition to excelling in a wide range of roles, from Mozart's Don Giovanni to Wotan to Scarpia to Escamillo, he was the first North American singer to appear on the stage of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater, where in 1960 he triumphed in arguably the greatest Russian male role, Boris Godunov.
London began his vocal training after his family moved to Los Angeles, when he was 15. He made his operatic debut as Doctor Grenvil in Verdi's La traviata at the Hollywood Bowl, and for a while sang with Frances Yeend and Mario Lanza in the Bel Canto Trio. In 1949, he decided to make his career in Europe, and after an audition with Karl Böhm, joined the Vienna State Opera, where he made his debut as Amonasro, and was an overnight success. He remained a favorite there throughout his career, and was named a Kammersänger.
He made his Bayreuth Festival debut the year it reopened, 1951, as Amfortas, and he also appeared there in the title role of The Flying Dutchman. In 1962, he sang the complete Ring in Cologne, under the direction of Wieland Wagner.
In 1966, one of his vocal chords became paralyzed, and he retired from singing. However, he remained very active in the musical world. In 1971, he established a foundation for young singers (a list of just the most prominent award recipients includes Renée Fleming, Kathleen Battle, Jerry Hadley, Barbara Hendricks, James Morris, and Dawn Upshaw).
He also served as artistic administrator of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.) from 1968 to 1971, and executive director of the National Opera Institute from 1971 to 1976, as well as the director of the Washington Opera from 1975 to 1979. In 1975, in Seattle, he staged the first-ever complete Ring Cycle in English.
© TiVo
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Don Giovanni 1955
Opera - Released by Preiser Records on 25 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Remastered 2012)
Sir Georg Solti, Kirsten Flagstad, George London, Gustav Neidlinger, Set Svanholm, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 14 Oct 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer (Highlights)
Classical - Released by Decca on 30 May 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Les maîtres chanteurs de Nuremberg, extraits (Mono Version)
George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven · Symphony No.9 "Choral"
Gundula Janowitz, Grace Bumbry, Jess Thomas, George London, Karl Böhm, Orchestra E Coro Del Festival Di Bayreuth
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on 29 Sep 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen: 1. Das Rheingold
George London, Irene Dalis, Ralph Herbert, Erich Leinsdorf, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Chorus
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on 24 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony No. 4 and Kindertotenlieder
Rias Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Kölner Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester, Otto Klemperer, George London, Elfride Trötschel
Classical - Released by Archipel on 31 Oct 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George London 1953
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 15 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart · Le nozze di Figaro
George London, Lisa Della Casa, Erich Leinsdorf, Wiener Philarmoniker
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on 30 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold (Complete Opera)
Kirsten Flagstad, Sir Georg Solti, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Set Svanholm, Jean Madeira, George London
Opera - Released by Music Manager on 4 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Claude Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on 23 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Mono Version)
Wiener Symphoniker, Rudolf Moralt, George London, Sena Jurinac
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Singers of the Century: George London & The Robert Shaw Chorale – Broadway Lights (Remastered 2016)
George London, Robert Shaw Chorale, Robert Shaw
Musical Theatre - Released by Jube Classic on 23 Sep 2016
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande, L. 88 (Live)
Opera - Released by Walhall Eternity Series on 6 Mar 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy : Pelléas et Mélisande
Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House, George London, Jean Morel, Victoria de los Angeles
Opera - Released by OperaPrima on 1 Jan 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sinistre-31 / Boo To You, Too!
Classical - Released by Rounding Third Recordings on 18 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Voice to Remember
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Picobello on 1 Nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Words & Music of George London
Pop - Released by George London on 15 Jan 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Heroes and Heroines of Bayreuth: George London (1958-1962)
Opera - Released by Jube Classic on 6 Aug 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, W.A.: Zauberflote (Die) [Sung in English] [Opera] (Walter) (1956)
Classical - Released by West Hill Radio Archives on 1 Apr 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Cantata, BWV 202 - Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
George London, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Hermann Schey
Classical - Released by Urania on 11 Aug 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo