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 libre ...

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 i ...

, 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 wed ...

and

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

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 and

Jussi Björling Johan Jonatan "Jussi" Björling ( , ; 5 February 19119 September 1960) was a Swedish tenor. One of the leading operatic singers of the 20th century, Björling appeared for many years at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and less frequentl ...

.Svanholm Singers He made his operatic debut as a baritone (Stockholm, 1930), singing the role of Silvio in ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who ...

''. 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 Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

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

) followed in 1937, along with Lemminkäinen in the premiere of

Lars-Erik Larsson Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson (15 May 190827 December 1986) was a Swedish composer, conductor, radio producer, and educator. He wrote three of the most popular works (each a suite) in Swedish art music: ''A Winter's Tale'' (; 1937–1938), the ''Pa ...

's ''

The Princess of Cyprus ''The Princess of Cyprus'' (in Swedish: ), Op. 9, is an opera in four acts written from 1931 to 1936 by the Swedish composer Lars-Erik Larsson; the Swedish-language libretto is by Finnish author and playwright Zacharias Topelius. The op ...

'' 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 operat ...

(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 Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern s ...

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 (; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditi ...

'', ''

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 compos ...

'' (Set Svanholm, tenor, RCA Orch; Frieder Weissmann, cond. & Philharmonia Orch;

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz. T ...

, 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 Nationa ...

'', 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-serving ...

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

'' - Highlights (Set Svanholm,

Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide répertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner a ...

, Josef Greindl.) 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 Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...

;

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 Ge ...

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

'' - Act I (Set Svanholm,

, Josef Greindl;

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 conduct ...

cond.) Bella Voce 107.010 *Wagner: ''

'' - (Set Svanholm,

, Josef Hermann,

Ludwig Weber Ludwig Weber (July 29, 1899December 9, 1974) was an Austrian bass. Ludwig Weber was born in Vienna in 1899. He initially planned to pursue a career as a teacher and artist when he discovered his vocal promise and decided to pursue an opera care ...

;

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 p ...

'' (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 perform ...

, 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 o ...

: ''

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 alt ...

'' (Set Svanholm, Elena Nikolaidi, New York Philharmonic Orchestra;

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 Sigurd Björling (2 November 1907 - 8 April 1983) was a Swedish operatic baritone. He made his debut as Alfio in ''Cavalleria Rusticana'' in 1935 at Royal Swedish Opera. He specialized in Wagnerian roles, among them Wotan, Telramund, Amfortas, Ha ...

, 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