George London (bass baritone)

Biography

George London was born to a Russian Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and grew up in Los Angeles, California, United States.

In the summer of 1945 Antal Dorati invited his longtime friend, the Hungarian bass Mihaly Szekely, to sing at the first concert of the newly reorganized Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Because of travel difficulties Szekely was unable to arrive in time, so Dorati called upon young George London as a substitute.

After performing widely with tenor Mario Lanza and soprano Frances Yeend as part of the Bel Canto Trio in 1947–48, London was engaged by the Vienna State Opera, where he scored his first major success in 1949.

In 1950 he sang the role of Pater Profundis in Mahler's Eighth Symphony, conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

He was among the most famous exponents of his five signature roles: Don Giovanni, Boris Godunov, Wotan, Scarpia and Amfortas. He never recorded any role in Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, although recital performances of Hans Sachs' monologues exist on record.

In 1951 he sang at Bayreuth as Amfortas in Parsifal, and reappeared frequently in the 1950s and early 1960s as Amfortas and in the title role of The Flying Dutchman. He made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1951 as Amonasro in Aida, and sang over 270 performances, both baritone and bass-baritone roles, in such operas as The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Arabella, Tosca, Don Giovanni, Boris Godunov, Carmen, Otello, Parsifal, Tannhauser, The Tales of Hoffmann, Pelleas et Melisande, and Faust. In 1964, he created the role of Abdul in the American premiere of Gian-Carlo Menotti's The Last Savage. He was the first American to sing the title role of Boris Godunov at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War in 1960.

He frequently performed in English: Broadway show tunes and negro spirituals. Recordings of both are available.

He recorded many of his roles for RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and Decca. He recorded Verdi's Requiem with Richard Tucker and Lucine Amara, under Eugene Ormandy. A recording of a live concert with piano accompaniment is also available from VAI, which includes Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death, as well as several Schubert Lieder and a variety of songs in English.

During his Met career, in 1956, he appeared on Ed Sullivan's television program in an abridged version of Act II of Tosca, opposite Maria Callas, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos. A kinescope of that performance was preserved. Another black-and-white videotape of him in the same role, opposite Renata Tebaldi in a complete performance, is sometimes available. It was made late in his career and the paralysis of half his face is clearly visible.

In 1958, London performed the leading role of Wotan, in the groundbreaking recording of Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold, conducted by Sir Georg Solti, and produced by John Culshaw for Decca.

Having already sung the Rheingold Wotan and the Siegfried Wanderer roles at the Met in New York in December 1961 and January 1962, he was ready to sing his first complete Ring Cycle. This was to be the now legendary new production mounted by Wieland Wagner at the Cologne Opera in West Germany in May 1962. Wieland Wagner was ready to try out new singers and production ideas in advance of his new Bayreuth Festival production which was scheduled for the summer of 1965 with London as Wotan and the Wanderer.

The Cologne Ring proved to be a great success (a private recording of Das Rheingold from this cycle exists to verify this) but London's vocal health began to deteriorate rapidly during the 1963–64 season; subsequently the problem was diagnosed as a paralysed vocal cord. This problem increased to such an extent that shortly after singing Wotan in Die Walkure at the Met in March 1965, he cancelled his upcoming appearances at the Bayreuth Festival that summer to rest and hopefully recover his voice. However, his vocal decline continued to such an extent that by March 1966 he sang in what would be his last appearance at the Metropolitan Opera: the role of Amfortas in Parsifal. By 1967 his career was over at the age of 46.

George London Foundation

In 1971, London established the George London Foundation for Singers, Inc., which gives grants to young opera singers early in their careers. $80,000 is given each year to the winners of an annual competition.

Directing

In 1975, he directed the first Ring Cycle produced by Seattle Opera, creating its "Pacific Northwest Wagner Festival."

From 1975 until 1977 he was general director of the Washington Opera (later the Washington National Opera).

Vocal signature

His voice was large, dark and resonant with a massive, penetrating top. Although it was also rather thickly-textured, London at his best commanded a wide range of dynamics, from delicate pianississimi to resounding fortes. His musicianship won him acclaim on three continents. London was also a fine actor with a robust stage presence; he was tall, powerfully built and striking.

The talent of George London was celebrated twice before his death. In the Carnegie Hall concert of 1981, introduced by Beverly Sills, performances were given by a long list of colleagues. In Vienna, 1984, some of the world's greatest singers assembled to honor the artist.

Health issues

In 1977, a massive heart attack with brain damage left him half paralyzed. After the first heart attack, his health inexorably declined. A few years later, he managed to survive a second heart attack. On March 24, 1985, he died in Armonk, New York, after a third heart attack.