McCracken, James (Eugene)

McCracken, James (Eugene) , remarkable American tenor; b. Gary, Ind., Dec. 16, 1926; d. N.Y, April 29, 1988. After working at the Roxy Theatre in N.Y, he sang at Radio City Music Hall and appeared in minor roles on Broadway; following formal vocal studies with Wellington Ezekiel, he made his operatic debut as Rodolfo with the Central City Opera in Colo. (1952). On Nov. 21, 1953, he made his first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Parpignol; continued to sing minor roles there until he decided to try his fortune in Europe in 1957. After further vocal training with Marcello Conati in Milan, he joined the Zürich Opera in 1959 and proved himself in major roles there. He soon gained wide recognition for his portrayal of Verdi’s Otello, a role he sang to great acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera on March 10, 1963; remained on its roster until quitting the company in a dispute with the management in 1978. In 1983 he returned to the Metropolitan Opera as a participant in its Centennial Gala; he rejoined its roster in 1984, singing there with distinction until his death. He also appeared as a guest artist with major U.S. and European opera houses, and as a soloist with leading orchs. He often made joint appearances with his wife, Sandra Warfield. In addition to Otello, he won renown as Canio, Florestan, Don José, Radames, Samson in Saint-Saëns’s opera, and Bacchus in Strauss’s Ariadne aufNaxos. With his wife, he publ. the memoir A Star in the Family (ed. by R. Daley; N.Y., 1971).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire