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Otakar Kraus

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Name
  
Otakar Kraus


Role
  
Baritone

Otakar Kraus wwwbachcantatascomPicBioKBIGKrausOtakar0

Died
  
July 28, 1980, London, United Kingdom

Albums
  
Das Land des Lachelns / Die lustige Witwe

Similar People
  
Erich Kunz, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Otto Ackermann, Nicolai Gedda, Franz Lehar

Otakar Kraus (10 December 1909 — 28 July 1980) was a Czech (later British), operatic baritone and teacher.

Otakar Kraus Otakar Kraus Baritone Short Biography

He was born in Prague and studied there with Konrad Wallerstein and in Milan with Fernando Carpi. He himself was the teacher of a number of important British basses, including Robert Lloyd, Willard White, John Tomlinson and Gwynne Howell. He was also a teacher of New Zealand baritone Barry Mora.

Otakar Kraus Otakar Kraus Baritone Short Biography

He made his operatic debut as Amonasro in Aida in Brno in 1935. From 1936 to 1939 he sang as principal baritone at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. In 1940, he moved to England, appearing at the Savoy Theatre in Mussorgsky's The Fair at Sorochyntsi, and from 1943 to 1946 he appeared with the Carl Rosa Opera Company, singing Scarpia, Germont, the three roles in Hoffmann and other parts. After seasons with the English Opera Group and the Netherlands Opera, he joined the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1951, and sang there until 1973.

Kraus specialised in villainous characters. His roles at Covent Garden and worldwide included Don Pizarro in Fidelio, Iago in Otello and Scarpia in Tosca, as well as Alberich in the Ring cycle at the Bayreuth Festival from 1960 to 1962. He created the roles of Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Tarquinius in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, King Fisher in Michael Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage, Diomede in Walton's Troilus and Cressida, and the Sheriff in Gian Carlo Menotti's Martin's Lie.

He died in London.

His name is mentioned in the Czech film "Cosy Dens" (1999) by Jirí Kodet (as Kraus).

References

Otakar Kraus Wikipedia


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