Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈfɾeðo kɾaus tɾuˈxiʎo]; 24 November 1927 - 10 September 1999) was a distinguishedSpanish tenor from the Canary islands, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was also considered an outstanding interpreter of the title role in Massenet's opera Werther, and especially of its famous aria, "Pourquoi me réveiller? Kraus was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain. His father was Austrian and his mother was Spanish. He began his musical career with piano lessons at the age of four, and he sang in the school choir by age eight. After refining his technique singing Spanish zarzuela on stage in Madrid and Barcelona, Kraus made his professional opera debut inCairo during 1956 as the Duke in Rigoletto, which became one of his signature roles. In 1958, he sang Alfredo at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon in a production of La traviata with Maria Callas, a live recording of which was later released. Kraus made his Covent Garden debut as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959 and his La Scala debut as Elvino in La sonnambulain 1960. He made his American debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1962, and his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1966 in Rigoletto, the role of his last performance there in 1994. In subsequent decades, Kraus extended his repertoire to include more Italian operas such as Lucrezia Borgia, La fille du régiment,Linda di Chamounix, Don Pasquale and La favorita by Donizetti; and French operas such as Roméo et Juliette, Les contes d'Hoffmann, Faust and Lakmé, while continuing to sing his hallmark roles of Werther and of Des Grieux in Manon. He also recorded a number of rarely performed French operas including La jolie fille de Perth and Les pêcheurs de perles, both by Georges Bizet, and La muette de Portici by Daniel Auber. He also performed in some very well known works, such as Don Giovanni and Faust... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo...
Lyrics & English Translation
She appeared to me, full of love,
my eyes caught sight of her;
so beautiful that my heart
flew to her with longing;
was wounded and inflamed
by her angelic beauty
which love has engraved in my heart,
and which cannot be erased,
and the mere thought
of her responding to my passion
is able to appease the suffering
which distresses me and breaks my heart!
Martha, Martha, you have vanished,
and my heart went with you!
You have stolen my peace of mind,
I shall die of grief,
ah! I shall die, shall die of grief!
A link to this wonderful artists personal web site: www.allmusic.com/artist/alfred...
Please Enjoy!
I send my kind and warm regards,