Władysław Ladis

He was the younger brother of Jan Kiepura. They were born in Silesia, the German part of Poland, and participated in the Silesian Uprisings after World War I that aimed at associating Silesia with the newly founded Polish state; Władysław was severely wounded in 1919, and took part in the second uprising in 1920 nontheless (just like Jan and their father).

Like his brother Jan, he studied voice with Tadeusz Leliwa in Warsaw, then he went to Milano for further studies. So as to avoid being mixed up with Jan, he called himself Władysław Ladis (Ladis was in fact his nickname, short for Władysław).

He made his debut as Gounod's Faust in 1932 in Warsaw, where he stayed until 1934; then he was at the Hamburg opera theater for four years. In 1937, he was Jontek in a film version of Halka. In 1938/39, he sang at La Scala (debut role: Rodolfo).

When WWII broke out, he emigrated to the USA like his brother (both of them were staunch antifascists). He continued to sing for a while for the Polish community (in Halka and Straszny dwór at the Civic Opera Chicago, for instance), but wasn't successful. He quit the stage in the mid-1940s and dealt in real estate in Florida.

Reference 1, reference 2

Discography

Odeon, Berlin, about March 1936
Be11277		Halka (Moniuszko): I ty mu wierzysz		O-25678
Be11278		Halka (Moniuszko): Szumią jodły			O-25678
Be11291		Tu, ca nun chiagne (de Curtis)			O-25737, Parlophon R2227
Be11292		Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia)				O-25737, Parlophon R2227

Odeon, Berlin, about October 1937
Be11856		Majarska (Schulenburg)				O-25957
Be11856-2	Majarska (Schulenburg)				O-25957
Be11857		Sing mir das Lied noch einmal (Strecker)	O-25957
Be11857-2	Sing mir das Lied noch einmal (Strecker)	O-25957

Odeon, Berlin, April 1938
Be12021		Manon (Massenet): Ich schloss die Augen		O-26127
Be12022		Manon (Massenet): Flieh, o flieh		O-26127

Harmonia Records, New York City, about 1942
H-1B		Najpiękniejsze kujawiaki (arr. Dana-Danilowski)	H-1001A
H-3BX		Pięć mazurów (arr. Dana-Danilowski)		H-1001B