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 - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on Jun 28, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner : Das Rheingold
Sir Georg Solti, Kirsten Flagstad, George London, Gustav Neidlinger, Set Svanholm, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Oct 14, 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 - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Apr 30, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 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 - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, R.: Arabella
Lisa Della Casa, Hilde Güden, Anton Dermota, George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Scenes From Wagner (Hans Knappertsbusch - The Opera Edition: Volume 8)
George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grosse Sänger unseres Jahrhunderts: George London (Live)
Opera - Released by Orfeo on Aug 5, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 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 - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Die Walküre
Birgit Nilsson, Jon Vickers, George London, London Symphony Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Sep 24, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Broadway
George London, The Roland Shaw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on May 5, 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Famous voices of the past - George London
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on Jun 24, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Karl Böhm, Gundula Janowitz, George London
Symphonic Music - Released by Urania on Feb 7, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Klemperer Live: Cologne Vol. 5 — Concert 17 October 1955 (Historical Recording)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, George London, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Archiphon on Oct 6, 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (1950)
Erich Kunz, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, George London
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on Oct 29, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Der Fliegede Holländer, Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg, Die Walküre, Parsifal, Wesendock Lieder
Hans Knappersbusch, George London, Kirsten Flagstad
Opera - Released by Urania on Feb 5, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Of Gods and Demons
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Dec 16, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, R.: Arabella
Lisa Della Casa, Hilde Güden, George London, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Bass Arias
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Oct 18, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Heine-Lieder - Ibert: Chansons de Don Quichitte - Mussorgsky: Lieder und Tanze des Todes
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Sep 22, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Famous voices of the past - George London: Opera and Songs
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on Aug 17, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Giovanni 1955
Opera - Released by Preiser Records on Jun 25, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo