Set Svanholm (2 September 1904 – 4 October 1964) was a Swedish

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

, considered the leading

Tristan Tristan (Latin/ Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; cy, Trystan), also known as Tristram or Tristain and similar names, is the hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. In the legend, he is tasked with escorting the Irish princess Iseult to we ...

and Siegfried of the first decade following World War II.

Life and career

Svanholm began his musical career at the age of 17 as a

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

, elementary school teacher, and organist. He then studied at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm as well as taking singing lessons from the famous baritone John Forsell, who also taught

Aksel Schiøtz Aksel Schiøtz (1 September 190619 April 1975) was a Danish tenor and later baritone, who was considered one of Europe's leading lieder singers of the post-World War II period.Alan Blyth"Review: The Singer and His Art by Aksel Schiøtz" ''The Musi ...

and Jussi Björling.Svanholm Singers He made his operatic debut as a baritone (Stockholm, 1930), singing the role of Silvio in '' Pagliacci''. He sang as a baritone for several years. Then in 1936, after further study, he debuted as a tenor, singing the role of Radamès in ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

''. His first Wagnerian tenor roles (

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...

and Siegfried) followed in 1937, along with Lemminkäinen in the premiere of Lars-Erik Larsson's '' The Princess of Cyprus'' the same year. Svanholm sang regularly at the New York

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...

(1946-1956), the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

(1949-1954), and The Royal Opera House in London (1948–57). He became the director of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1956, a post he held until 1963.

Recordings

*''Set Svanholm sings Wagner'' - Arias and scenes from ''Lohengrin'', ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and ...

'', '' Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'', ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...

'' and ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. It was comp ...

'' (Set Svanholm, tenor, RCA Orch;

Frieder Weissmann Frieder Weissmann (23 January 1893 – 4 January 1984) was a German conductor and composer. Life and career Weissmann was born in Langen, Hesse. His civil name was Samuel, which he kept - in the form ''Semy'' or ''Semmy'' - until 1916. After th ...

, cond. & Philharmonia Orch; Karl Böhm, cond.) Preiser Records 89535 *Wagner: ''

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), WWV 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National ...

'', the famous

Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt and London, and as a long-servin ...

recording with George London. Svanholm plays Loge. *Wagner: ''

'' - Highlights (Set Svanholm, Birgit Nilsson,

Josef Greindl Josef Greindl (23 December 1912 - 16 April 1993) was a German operatic bass, remembered mainly for his performances of Wagnerian roles at Bayreuth beginning in 1943. Josef Greindl was born in Munich and studied at the Munich Music Academy with Pa ...

.) Preiser Records 93447 *Wagner: ''

'' - Act 1 (Set Svanholm,

Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casa ...

, Arnold van Mill;

Hans Knappertsbusch Hans Knappertsbusch (12 March 1888 – 25 October 1965) was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Wagner, Bruckner and Richard Strauss. Knappertsbusch followed the traditional route for an aspiring conductor in Ger ...

, 1957.) Published by Decca *Wagner: ''

'' - Act I (Set Svanholm, Birgit Nilsson,

;

Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (5 May 190028 May 1973) was a German conductor and composer. After studying at several music academies, he worked in German opera houses between 1923 and 1945, first as a répétiteur and then in increasingly senior conduc ...

cond.) Bella Voce 107.010 *Wagner: '' Siegfried'' - (Set Svanholm,

, Josef Hermann, Ludwig Weber;

Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , , ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a major ...

cond.) various releases *''Set Svanholm Live'' - Excerpts from ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (recorded live at the Royal Theater, Stockholm, 1939; Nils Grevillius cond.), ''Aida'' (recorded live at the Royal Theater, Stockholm, 1939; Leo Blech cond.), and ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), WWV 86D, is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', or ''The Ring Cycle'' or ''The Ring'' for short). It received its premiere at the on 17 August 1876, as ...

'' (recorded live at the

Bayreuth Festspielhaus The ''Bayreuth Festspielhaus'' or Bayreuth Festival Theatre (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspielhaus, ) is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, built by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner and dedicated solely to the performa ...

, 1942; Karl Elmendorff cond.) Preiser Records 90332 *

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

: ''

Das Lied von der Erde ''Das Lied von der Erde'' ("The Song of the Earth") is an orchestral song cycle for two voices and orchestra written by Gustav Mahler between 1908 and 1909. Described as a symphony when published, it comprises six songs for two singers who alte ...

'' (Set Svanholm, Elena Nikolaidi,

New York Philharmonic Orchestra The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

;

Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a German-born conductor, pianist and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French citizen in 1938, and settled in the U ...

cond.) Music & Arts Programs Of America 950 * Saint-Saëns: ''

Samson et Dalila ''Samson and Delilah'' (french: Samson et Dalila, links=no), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the (Grand Ducal) Theater ( ...

'' (Set Svanholm, Blanche Thebom, Sigurd Björling, Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Herbert Sandberg cond.), 1956; Caprice; CAT: CAP 22054

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *Benson, Robert E.
Review: ''Set Svanholm sings Wagner''
''Classical CD Review''. Accessed 6 February 2009. *

Archives
Svanholm, Set (Tenor)
Accessed 6 February 2009. *Rosenthal, H. and Warrack, J., "Svanholm, Set" in ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, 1979. *Svanholm Singers
Set Svanholm
Accessed 6 February 2009.

External links

History of the Tenor / Set Svanholm / Sound Clips and Narration
{{DEFAULTSORT:Svanholm, Set 1904 births 1964 deaths People from Västerås Heldentenors Swedish operatic tenors 20th-century Swedish male opera singers Royal College of Music, Stockholm alumni