Gunnar Graarud

1 June 1886 Holmestrand – 6 December 1960 Stuttgart

Picture of Gunnar Graarud with Rose Pauly in Wozzeck
with Rose Pauly in Wozzeck

Picture of Gunnar Graarud
Gunnar Graarud to SS-Standartenführer Globocnik in Vienna
Provided by Daniele Godor

Gunnar Graarud asks the SS leader for permission to keep his party membership, which he had been asked to give up because he wanted to remain a Norwegian citizen. He writes:

"It's well known that, during my time at the Staatsoper in 1933, I got into a lot of trouble because I supported the Führer openly. My contract there was not renewed because, as they said, I was a 'Nazi'. [...] Already in 1933, I declared myself openly a national socialist when asked about my attitude. Therefore, I hereby kindly ask you to keep me as a party member, as a sign of legitimation of my life's work which, to my last breath, will be dedicated entirely to Germany and the Führer.
Heil Hitler!
Gunnar Graarud
Debut in 1919 in Kaiserslautern, afterwards in Mannheim, at the Berlin Volksoper, and in Hamburg. At the Bayreuth festival from 1927 on (Siegmund, Siegfried, Tristan and Parsifal). 1928 to 1937 at the Staatsoper Vienna (though he performed very, very rarely there in the last few years, and his most prominent public "appearance" in those late years was his enthusiastic appraisal of the Nazi takeover in 1938, widely published – along with similar testimonies by other artists – in the Austrian newspapers). Sang as a guest at Covent Garden, London, at the Opéra in Paris, and at the Scala di Milano, among other places. One of the truly great heldentenors.
Gunnar Graarud sings Tristan und Isolde: O sink hernieder, with Nanny Larsén-Todsen and Anny Helm
In RA format

Gunnar Graarud sings Tristan und Isolde: Wohin nun Tristan scheidet, with Nanny Larsén-Todsen

Gunnar Graarud sings Die Walküre: Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond
In RA format

Gunnar Graarud sings Die Walküre: Siegmund heiß' ich
In RA format
I wish to thank Tom Silverbörg for the recording (Wohin nun Tristan scheidet).
I wish to thank Daniele Godor for the picture (bottom) and recording (Siegmund heiß' ich)

Discography

Grammophon/Polydor, Berlin, about December 1921 
1457ar   Pour un baiser (Tosti)                                                	62396
1458ar   Ideale (Tosti)                                                        	62376
1459ar   Mattinata (Tosti)                                                     	62396
1460ar   La serenata (Tosti)                                                   	62376

Grammophon/Polydor, Berlin, February 1924
1346ax	 Walküre (Wagner): Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond			62510
1347ax   En drøm (Grieg)							62504
1348ax   En svane (Grieg)                                                       62504
396az    Otello (Verdi): Niun mi tema                                           66133, 66215

Grammophon/Polydor, Berlin, February 1925 
3465ar   Des Mondes Silber rinnt (Kjerulf)                                      62503
3466ar   Ich denke oft ans blaue Meer (Weingartner)                             62503
3467ar   Letzter Frühling (= Våren) (Grieg)					62500
3468ar   Im Kahne (= Mens jeg venter) (Grieg)					62500
3469½ar	 Zur Johannisnacht (= Og jeg vil ha mig en hjertenskjær) (Grieg)	62501
3470ar   Murmelndes Lüftchen (Jensen)                                           62502
3471ar   O lass dich halten, goldne Stunde (Jensen)                             62502
3472ar   Komm wir wandeln zusammen (Cornelius)                                  62501

Grammophon/Polydor, Berlin, July 1925 
3629½ar  Fidelio (Beethoven): Gott! Welch Dunkel hier				62510
2143as   Don Giovanni (Mozart): Tränen, vom Freund getrocknet			66133

Grammophon/Polydor, København, 16 October 1926
4700ar	 Komm aus der engen Stadt (Koss)					62541
4701ar   Des Mondes Silber rinnt (Kjerulf)                                      62541

Columbia, Bayreuth, July 1928: excerpts from Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)
AX3938-3 Darf ich die Antwort sagen? (w. Bockelmann, Larsén-Todsen and Helm)	DWX1275, GQX10534, L2189, LCX66, 67489-D, Odeon XX266299
AX3942-3 Begehrt, Herrin, was ihr wünscht (w. Larsén-Todsen)			DWX1277, GQX10536, L2191, LCX68, 67491-D, Odeon XX266301
AX3943-2 Wie sorgt' ich schlecht (w. Larsén-Todsen)				DWX1278, GQX10537, L2192, LCX69, 67492-D, Odeon XX266302
AX3944-1 Geleitest du mich (w. Larsén-Todsen)					DWX1278, GQX10537, L2192, LCX69, 67492-D, Odeon XX266302
AX3945-4 Betrug auch hier? Mein die Hälfte! (w. Larsén-Todsen)			DWX1279, GQX10538, L2193, LCX70, 67493-D, Odeon XX266303
AX3946-3 Was trämte mir von Tristans Ehre?					DWX1279, GQX10538, L2193, LCX70, 67493-D, Odeon XX266303
	 (w. Larsén-Todsen, Helm and Bockelmann)
AX3947-2 Der öde Tag zum letzten Mal (w. Andrésen and Sattler)			DWX1286, GQX10545, L2200, LCX77, 67500-D, Odeon XX266310 
AX3951-3 Kurwenal! He! Sag, Kurwenal! (w. Bockelmann and Beer)			DWX1289, GQX10549, L2204, LCX81, 67503-D, Odeon XX266313
AX3952-4 Das Schiff! Siehst du's noch nicht? (w. Bockelmann)			DWX1289, GQX10549, L2204, LCX81, 67503-D, Odeon XX266313
AX3970-3 Nicht da war's, wo ich Tantris barg (w. Larsén-Todsen)			DWX1277, GQX10536, L2191, LCX68, 67491-D, Odeon XX266301
AX3974-3 Isolde! Geliebte! Tristan! Geliebter! (w. Larsén-Todsen)		DWX1281, GQX10541, L2196, LCX73, 67495-D, Odeon XX266305
AX3975-2 Dem Tage! (w. Larsén-Todsen)						DWX1282, GQX10541, L2196, LCX73, 67496-D, Odeon XX266306
AX3976-3 Dem Neid, den mir der Tag erweckt (w. Larsén-Todsen)			DWX1282, GQX10542, L2197, LCX74, 67496-D, Odeon XX266306
AX3977-4 O Heil dem Tranke (w. Larsén-Todsen)					DWX1283, GQX10542, L2197, LCX74, 67497-D, Odeon XX266307
AX3978-3 O sink hernieder (w. Larsén-Todsen)					DWX1283, GQX10543, L2198, LCX75, 67497-D, Odeon XX266307
AX3979-2 Wonnehehrstes Weben (w. Larsén-Todsen and Helm)			DWX1284, GQX10543, L2198, LCX75, 67498-D, Odeon XX266308
AX3980-4 Neid'sche Wache (w. Larsén-Todsen)					DWX1284, GQX10544, L2199, LCX76, 67498-D, Odeon XX266308
AX3981-4 Was stürbe dem Tod (w. Larsén-Todsen and Helm)				DWX1285, GQX10544, L2199, LCX76, 67499-D, Odeon XX266309
AX3982-4 O ew'ge Nacht (w. Larsén-Todsen and Bockelmann)			DWX1285, GQX10545, L2200, LCX77, 67499-D, Odeon XX266309
AX3983-4 Wohin nun Tristan scheidet						DWX1287, GQX10547, L2202, LCX79, 67501-D, Odeon XX266311
AX3984-4 Als für ein fremdes Land (w. Larsén-Todsen and Sattler)		DWX1288, GQX10547, L2202, LCX79, 67502-D, Odeon XX266312

Parlophon, Berlin, 28 May 1929
37528    Walküre (Wagner): Siegmund heiß' ich					B4471, Odeon O-25321
37529    Walküre (Wagner): Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond			B4471, Odeon O-25321
2-21448  Evangelimann (Kienzl): Des Lebens ganzen Leidenskelch, pt. 1		unpublished
2-21449  Evangelimann (Kienzl): Des Lebens ganzen Leidenskelch, pt. 2		unpublished

HMV, Wien, 4 July 1929
BA135-1  Sidste reis, Op 17 No 2 (Alnaes)                                       X3278
BA135-2  Sidste reis, Op 17 No 2 (Alnaes)                                       unpublished
BA136-1  Dei gamle fjell i Syningom (Sinding)                                   X3278
BA136-2  Dei gamle fjell i Syningom (Sinding)                                   unpublished
BA137-1  En drøm (Grieg)                                                        unpublished
BA137-2  En drøm (Grieg)                                                        X3696
BA138-1  Du grønne glitrende tre (Weyse)                                        unpublished
BA138-2  Du grønne glitrende tre (Weyse)                                        X3245, AL2140
BA139-1  Jeg synger julekvad (trad)                                             X3245, AL2140
BA139-2  Jeg synger julekvad (trad)                                             unpublished

HMV, Wien, 8 July 1929
BA144-1  Symra (Ulfrstad)							unpublished
BA144-2  Symra (Ulfrstad)							X3304
BA145-1  Hesperia (Torjussen)							X3304
BA145-2  Hesperia (Torjussen)							unpublished
BA146-1  Svend Herlufsens ord (David Monrad Johansen)                           unpublished
BA146-2  Svend Herlufsens ord (David Monrad Johansen)                           X3299
BA147-1  Di vise männen (Jordan)						X3299
BA147-2  Di vise männen (Jordan)						unpublished
BA148-1  Silkesko over gylden lest (Wiklund)					unpublished
BA148-2  Silkesko over gylden lest (Wiklund)					unpublished

HMV, Wien, 5 January 1931
0L10     Silkesko over gylden lest (Wiklund)					unpublished?

live recording, Wien (Staatsoper), 28 February 1933
	 Rheingold (Wagner): Sie kehren zurück
	 (w. Kalenberg, Manowarda, Paalen, Markhoff, Norbert, Madin)

live recording, Wien (Staatsoper), 13 April 1933
	 Parsifal (Wagner): Wehe! Was tat ich! (w. Rünger)
	 Parsifal (Wagner): Amfortas! Die Wunde!
	 Parsifal (Wagner): Hilfe! Hilfe! Herbei (w. Rünger and Wiedemann)
	 Parsifal (Wagner): Du netztest mir die Füße (w. Mayr)
	 Parsifal (Wagner): Das dankt dann alle Kreatur (w. Mayr)
	 Parsifal (Wagner): Nur eine Waffe taugt (w. Schipper)

live recording, Wien (Staatsoper), 29 April 1933
	 Salome (Strauss): Ich glaube nicht an Propheten
	 (w. Paalen, Schipper, Gallos, Wernigk, Tomek, Anton Arnold, Madin, Manowarda, Wolken)
Source for the discography the alas defunct website 78opera.com; additions from Gesellschaft für historische Tonträger, Wien.

Go Home