Nicolai Gedda, the Swedish singer who rose from an impoverished childhood and a youthful career as a bank clerk to become one of the most celebrated tenors of the 20th century, died on Jan. 8 in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. He was 91.
The Royal Swedish Opera confirmed his death to the news agency Agence France-Presse. Mr. Gedda’s death, after a heart attack at his home in Tolochenaz, had not been announced by his family until this week.
Widely admired for his sensitive musicianship, masterly tonal control and impeccable diction in a spate of European languages, Mr. Gedda possessed a lyric tenor voice that shimmered like silver but was no less warm for that.
He was one of the most versatile, and professionally long-lived, tenors of his era, with many dozens of roles to his name in a career that lasted until he was well into his 70s — a good two decades past a classical singer’s customary retirement age. ---(mer i NYT)
