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Nicolai Gedda (1925-2017) was a remarkable Swedish tenor whose long career took him to nearly every major opera house in the world. Born Harry Gustaf Nikolai Lindberg in Stockholm, the illegitimate infant was adopted by his paternal aunt, Olga Gädda, and her future husband, bass Michail Ustinoff. Only as an adult did Gedda learn the couple who raised him were not his natural parents. In 1929, the family moved to Leipzig, where Michail found work as a cantor at St. Alexis Russian Orthodox Church. Nicolai, who had been taught by Michail to read music and play piano, joined the church’s vocal quartet. Concerned with the rise of fascism in Germany, the family returned to Stockholm in 1934. Nicolai, fluent in Swedish, Russian and German, learned French, English and Latin in school, becoming something of a polyglot at an early age. To help with family finances, Gedda took a job as a bank teller after finishing high school, earning extra cash as a wedding singer. After discussing singing with a regular customer (a member of Stockholm’s Royal Opera Orchestra), it was arranged for Gedda to meet renowned tenor and teacher, Carl Martin Oehman. Oehman offered free tutelage, although the young tenor eventually received prizes and scholarships, allowing him to pay for his lessons. At 24, Gedda entered Stockholm’s Royal Academy of Music and Opera School, where he learned stagecraft and further polished his singing technique. Following a few minor roles with the Royal Opera, Gedda made his official debut as Chapelou in Adam’s Le Postillon de Lonjumeau on April 8, 1952. Not long after, he was heard by HMV’s Walter Legge, who immediately signed him to sing Dmitri in the complete recording of Boris Godunov. Important debuts also followed, including La Scala, Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, Opéra de Paris, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and London’s Covent Garden. Gedda’s North American debut took place in a Montreal recital on March 3, 1957. Later that year, on November 1, he made his Met debut as Faust. Gedda would remain with the company for 26 seasons, singing over 350 performances of 28 roles, including the world premiere of Barber’s Vanessa. Gedda was also a popular figure in the theatres of Salzburg, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Geneva, Budapest and Buenos Aires. The busy tenor was also establishing himself as a first rate recitalist, renowned for his interpretations of Russian and Scandinavian songs. By the 1960s, Gedda began to include slightly heavier roles in his repertoire, even Lohengrin, which he essayed in Stockholm in January 1966. He had been scheduled to sing the role at Bayreuth the following year, but bowed out, feeling it was too heavy for his voice. Gedda remained active throughout the 1970s and 1980s, adding new roles to his vast repertoire. Among the many honors given him were the Litteris et Artibus, the Medal for the Promotion of Music, the title of Stockholm Royal Court Singer, the Grand Prix du Disque, the French Legion of Honor, and the Caruso Prize. In February 1997, Gedda made his final stage appearance in the cameo role of Abdisu in Palestrina at Covent Garden. In 2005, the 80 year old tenor returned to Leipzig for his final performance, joined by the ensemble of the church in which he sang some 70 years previously. Gedda retired to his home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, where stayed busy teaching young students. In 2015, erroneous reports of Gedda’s death circulated, but these were quickly debunked. Gedda continued to enjoy good health into his 90s, passing away quite suddenly at his home on January 8, 2017. He was 91. Nicolai Gedda was a remarkably disciplined artist who took exemplary care of his instrument. “The gift is not free”, he often said referring to his vocal endowment. Despite his extraordinary voice, Gedda struggled with stage fright for much of his career yet always managed to hide this from the public. His mastery of at least seven languages was unparalleled among tenors, and his spectacular voice, paired with a flawless technique, allowed him to thrive well into his 70s. His repertoire was diverse, including leads in Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Guillaume Tell, Le Prophète, Roméo et Juliette, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Werther, Manon, Carmen, Elisir d’Amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Pasquale, Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Yevgeny Onegin, Boris Godunov, Bartered Bride, and his personal favorite, the title role in Benvenuto Cellini. Gedda left behind hundreds of recordings, including many complete operas, essentially documenting his entire career. The voice we hear is a full lyric tenor, with a warm mid-range and spectacular top notes that extend well beyond high C. Gedda was also a masterful interpreter and an accomplished vocal actor, whether in opera or song.
