Vilhelm Herold

Who was Vilhelm Herold?

Vilhelm Christoffer Herold was an operatic tenor, voice teacher, and theatre director. Herold created the role of David in Carl Nielsen's opera Saul og David.

Herold is considered a legendary singer in his native Denmark, where he made his stage debut on February 10, 1893 in the title role of Gounod's Faust at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. However, he also sang throughout Europe, including a command performance for King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace in 1905. The previous year, he had made his Covent Garden debut in the title role of Lohengrin. He also sang at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

Herold was a prominent interpreter of Pedro in Eugen d'Albert's Tiefland during the years following its premiere, with the composer himself pronouncing him as ideal in the role. He also sang Pedro in the 1913 Oslo performance of Tiefland which marked Kirsten Flagstad's stage debut. It was in Tiefland that Herold made his final appearance on the opera stage on March 19, 1915, his 50th birthday. However, he has left no recordings from this work.