About
Official Site: http://www.georgelondon.org/One of the most compelling vocal artists, George London, was born in Montreal in 1920. When he was 15 his family moved to Los Angeles where he received his initial vocal training. After scattered appearances in opera and operetta on the west coast, he was discovered by Columbia Artists Management. He became the baritone member of the Bel Canto Trio with Frances Yeend and Mario Lanza and they concertized nationwide with great success for two seasons. Realizing the need for a dramatic breakthrough, London went to Europe to gain needed experience. Fortune smiled on him immediately because, after a highly successful audition with Karl Böhm, he was instantly engaged by the Vienna State Opera. His debut as Amonasro in Aida made London an overnight sensation. His star stature was further ratified by similar successes in Eugene Onegin and the Tales of Hoffman in Vienna, and as Amfortas in Parsifal in Bayreuth during the 1951-52 season, providing the natural culmination for the career of an American singer. Reaching the top with remarkable speed, London retained his enviable position among the world’s most acclaimed singers for the next two decades. Notable among his 22 Metropolitan roles, in addition to those already mentioned, were Don Giovanni and the title role in The Flying Dutchman. He sang many of these same roles in Vienna, where he remained a local favorite to the end of his career. Other international engagements followed in Buenos Aires, La Scala, Salzburg, and Paris. In 1960, he became the first American to sing Boris Godunov at the Bolshoi Theater, a characterization that lives on in a memorable recording. Among the many "first" milestones in London’s career, we recall his first appearances in the Met’s first Arabella (Richard Strauss) and The Last Savage (Menotti). He was the first American to sing Mozart in Salzburg and the Dutchman in Bayreuth. Wotan (Die Walküre) is perpetuated on records, as is his classical interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Song and Dances of Death. George London’s singing career was cut short by the paralysis of a vocal cord. In the many performances I have appeared in, there were many wonderful colleagues who had me in raptures. There were those with magnificant voices, or great musicians, wonderful actors or great personalities. But George London had it ALL! He was as impressive on stage as he was the wonderful colleague and friend in his private life. This is why he will have the place of honor in my heart. -- Birgit Nilsson He subsequently became Artistic Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (1968-1971) and Director of the National Opera Institute (1971-1976) as well as heading the Washington Opera (1975-1979) before succumbing to a heart ailment. The wide-ranging, warm bass-baritone voice that emerges from George London’s recordings was enhanced on stage by a strikingly handsome appearance and an uncommon acting ability. He left a vivid impression as a captivating Don Giovanni, a properly brooding Eugene Onegin and mysterious Dutchman, a tortured Boris Godunov and Amfortas, a suavely malevolent Scarpia, and a dashing Escamillo. -- George Jellinek |
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George London
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George London Newsletter |
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George London Discography (4titles)
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