Oberon's Glade

Tag: Don Jose

  • József Simándy as Lohengrin

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    The great Hungarian tenor József Simándy (above) sings Lohengrin’s Grail Narrative in Hungarian from a televised performance, date unknown.

    Watch and listen here.

    József Simándy was born on September 18, 1916 in a small rural Hungarian town called Kistarcsa. After graduating high school he worked as an auto mechanic until the fall of 1939, when the City Theater hired him as a chorister.

    Was was contracted as a soloist with the Szeged National Theater Opera Company in 1945. In the spring of 1947 he was hired by the Hungarian State Opera as a guest artist, and then became member of the company. Among his many roles were Turiddu, Don Jose, Lohengrin, Gabriele Adorno, Vladimir in Prince Igor), Radames, Walther von Stolzing, Manrico, Don Carlo, the Duke of Mantua, Lensky, Riccardo in Ballo in Maschera, Otello, Florestan, Canio, and Mario Cavaradossi. He also made guest appearances at the opera house in Munich,

    Simándy retired in November 1973 but continued to perform frequently until an official farewell performance in 1980. He died in Budapest in 1997.

  • Jon Crain

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    Tenor Jon Crain sang with the New York City Opera and at The Met, where his roles included Don Jose, Narraboth in SALOME, and Matteo in ARABELLA. He also participated in a studio recording of CAROUSEL with Roberta Peters, Alfred Drake, Claramae Turner, and Norman Treigle, and in an abridged English-language recording of TALES OF HOFFMANN issued by The Metropolitan Opera. Crain appeared on radio programs devoted to opera and song. 

    Following his retirement, the tenor joined the music faculty at West Virginia University. He passed away in 2003.

    Jon Crain ~ Ariadne auf Naxos – excerpt in English ~ 1958