Krause, Tom
Krause, Tom
Krause, Tom, Finnish baritone; b. Helsinki, July 5, 1934. He received his training in Helsinki, Vienna, and Berlin. In 1957 he made his debut as a lieder artist in Helsinki, followed by his operatic debut at the Berlin Städtische Oper as Escamillo in 1959. In 1962 he made his first appearance at the Bayreuth Festival as the Herald in Lohengrin, and that same year he became a member of the Hamburg State Opera, where he established a reputation as an interpreter of Mozart, Wagner, and Verdi; he also sang in the premieres there of Krenek’s Der goldene Bock (June 16, 1964) and Searle’s Hamlet (title role, March 5, 1968). In 1962 he made his British debut as the Count in Capriccio at the Glyndebourne Festival. On Oct. 11, 1967, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N. Y. as Count Almaviva, remaining on its roster until 1973. He also sang opera in Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston. He also pursued an extensive concert career which took him to most of the leading music centers of the world. Among his prominent roles were Don Alfonso, Guglielmo, Pizarro, Amonasro, Amfortas, Kurwenal, King Philip II, and Golaud.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire