Gunnar Graarud

Who was Gunnar Graarud?

Gunnar Graarud was a Norwegian operatic tenor. After making his debut in 1919, he was a leading artist at the Berlin State Opera from 1924-1926 and at the Vienna State Opera from 1929-1937. In 1927 he created the role of The blind judge in the world premiere of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane at the Hamburg State Opera. In 1928 he sang the role of Tristan for the first recording of Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. After retiring from the stage he was a member of the voice faculty at the Vienna Academy of Music. One of his notable pupils was bass Otto Edelmann.