GEORGE LONDON BASS-BARITONE MAY 30TH, 1920​​

George London was born in Montreal to Russian U.S émigrés parents, and was brought up in Los Angles. He possessed a dark and resonant bass baritone voice with an easy resounding upper register which he used masterfully from the finest pianissimi to the most resounding fortes. He was also known for his imposing stage presence and fine portrayal of his roles.

One interesting aspect of his career to note is, that before he found international acclaim he performed as a member of the Bel Canto Trio with Mario Lanza and Francis Yeend in 1947-48 (1).

It was not long after his trio days that his international career took off, starting after his debut in Vienna in 1949 (2).  A Bayreuth Festival debut followed in 1951 as Amfortas in Parsifal resulting in return seasons for him in the role and the title role of the Flying Dutchman. 

At the Metropolitan Opera in New York, he sang over 270 performances and became one of  the most famous exponents of the five signature bass baritone roles of Don Giovanni, Amfortas, Wotan, Scarpia and Boris Godunov. It was no small feat and testimony to his singing that he was given the honour of being the first non Russian singer to sing the title role of Boris Godunov at the Bolschoi Theatre at the height of the Cold War years in 1960 (3). Quite simply, he was able to encompass all styles of singing from Mozart, through French romantic and modern, to Verdi, Wagner, Mahler and Richard Strauß, as well as many performances of Broadway tunes and American songs and Lieder.

Both the Beatles and Maria Callas owed their exposure to a larger popular audience through their appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. On November 25,1956, Maria Callas made her national television debut singing Floria Tosca in an abridged Act 2 from Puccini’s Tosca. Fewer people remember, that it was George London’s Baron Scarpia, that proved the perfect foil to Callas, with his vocal prowess and stage presence (4).

Another classic London recording, where he sings Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, is with the other leading prima donna of the day, Renate Tebaldi and with Mario del Monaco to complete the star-studded team.

Although due to ill health, he never managed to perform the role of Hans Sachs in the Meistersinger von Nürnberg, nevertheless, there exist recordings of Sachs’ monologues from recital performances and a private recording exists of his portrayal of Wotan in Das Rheingold as part of the complete Cologne Ring Cycle he performed (5).

It was unfortunate that at the height of his career, George London retired from the stage due to vocal health decline which was caused by a paralysis of one of the vocal chords. Treatments proved inadequate to restore his voice back to its former prowess and so, consummate artist that he was, he declined to take further engagements.

He later became the artistic administrator for Kennedy Centre in Washington and general director of the Opera Society of Washington.

He and his wife created the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers  in which an annual singing competition for young Canadian and American singers is held where of the 15 finalists, 5 receive $12,000 and the remaining 10 $2,000 in encouragement awards (6).