Nicolai Gedda

Ubiquitous on record from the 1950s to the 21st century, Stockholm-born Nicolai Gedda was praised for the eloquence and purity of his bel canto voice in a career that lasted well into his seventies. Known for his technical mastery and fluid lightness, he appeared 367 times at the New York Metropolitan Opera and sang in some of the world's great opera houses including London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and La Scala in Milan.

Raised in Germany after his unwed mother, Clary, married Russian-born singer Michail Ustinoff, who became choirmaster at a church in Leipzig, Gedda took singing lessons at a very young age. When the family returned to Sweden in the mid-1930s following the rise of Hitler, he met tenor Carl Martin Ohman and studied with him. After more study at what became Stockholm's Royal College of Music, he debuted with the Royal Swedish Opera as the coachman in Adolphe Adam's 'Le Pistillon de Lonjumeau'.

His La Scala debut came as Don Ottavio in Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' in 1953 and following appearances at the Paris Opera House and Covent Garden he made his debut with the New York Met in 'Faust' in 1957. In scores of appearances over subsequent decades, his repertoire included Gluck's 'Alceste', Mozart's 'The Magic Flute', Mussorgsky's 'Boris Godunov' and Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly', and the list of his recordings cover those and many more. Throughout his career, Gedda was lauded for the beautiful tone of his voice. He died in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, at the age of 91 following a heart attack.