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.
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Wagner: Le vaisseau fantôme (Diapason n°615)
Opera - Lançado por Les Indispensables de Diapason em 28/06/2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner : Das Rheingold
Sir Georg Solti, Kirsten Flagstad, George London, Gustav Neidlinger, Set Svanholm, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 14/10/1997
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Tosca
Renata Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco, George London, Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 30/04/1991
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Extracts of Das Rheingold & Die Walküre (Stereo Version)
Sir Georg Solti, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirsten Flagstad, George London
Classical - Lançado por BNF Collection em 01/01/1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Les noces de Figaro, extraits (Mono Version)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Classical - Lançado por BNF Collection em 01/01/1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer
George London, Leonie Rysanek, Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Royal Opera House Orchestra, Antal Doráti
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 01/01/1962
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, R.: Arabella
Lisa Della Casa, Hilde Güden, Anton Dermota, George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 01/01/1958
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Scenes From Wagner (Hans Knappertsbusch - The Opera Edition: Volume 8)
George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. em 01/01/1959
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Wagner : Parsifal (Bayreuth 1951)
Opera - Lançado por Naxos em 21/01/2003
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grosse Sänger unseres Jahrhunderts: George London (Live)
Opera - Lançado por Orfeo em 05/08/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Tosca (highlights)
Renata Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco, George London, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 01/01/1959
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Broadway
George London, The Roland Shaw Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 05/05/1984
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Famous voices of the past - George London
Classical - Lançado por Preiser Records em 24/06/2003
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Klemperer Live: Cologne Vol. 5 — Concert 17 October 1955 (Historical Recording)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, George London, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Lançado por Archiphon em 06/10/2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Of Gods and Demons
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 16/12/1996
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Bass Arias
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 18/10/2019
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Heine-Lieder - Ibert: Chansons de Don Quichitte - Mussorgsky: Lieder und Tanze des Todes
Classical - Lançado por Orfeo em 22/09/2009
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cesare Siepi and London on Broadway
Cesare Siepi, George London, The Roland Shaw Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. em 17/07/2015
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Famous voices of the past - George London: Opera and Songs
Classical - Lançado por Preiser Records em 17/08/2009
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Giovanni 1955
Opera - Lançado por Preiser Records em 25/06/2009
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Remastered 2012)
Sir Georg Solti, Kirsten Flagstad, George London, Gustav Neidlinger, Set Svanholm, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 14/10/1997
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo