Alfredo Kraus Trujillo; 24 November 1927 – 10 September 1999) was a distinguished

Spanish tenor from the Canary islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus),
particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was also
considered an outstanding interpreter of the title role in Massenet's opera Werther, and
especially of its famous aria, "Pourquoi me réveiller?"

Kraus was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. His father was Austrian and his mother
was Canarian. He began his musical career with piano lessons at the age of four, and he
sang in the school choir by age eight. His older brother, Francisco Kraus Trujillo, a
baritone, studied music and opera alongside him.

After refining his technique singing Spanish zarzuela on stage in Madrid and Barcelona,
Kraus made his professional opera debut in Cairo during 1956 as the Duke in Rigoletto,
which became one of his signature roles. In 1958, he sang Alfredo at the Teatro
Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon in a production of La traviata with Maria Callas, a
live recording of which was later released.

Kraus made his Covent Garden debut as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959 and
his La Scala debut as Elvino in La sonnambula in 1960. He made his American debut
with Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1962, and his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1966 in
Rigoletto, the role of his last performance there in 1994.

In subsequent decades, Kraus extended his repertoire to include more Italian operas
such as Lucrezia Borgia, La fille du régiment, Linda di Chamounix, Don Pasquale and
La favorita by Donizetti; and French operas such as Roméo et Juliette, Les contes
d'Hoffmann, Faust and Lakmé, while continuing to sing his hallmark roles of Werther
and of Des Grieux in Manon. He also recorded a number of rarely performed French
operas including La jolie fille de Perth and Les pêcheurs de perles, both by Georges
Bizet, and La muette de Portici by Daniel Auber. He also performed in some very well
known works, such as Don Giovanni and Faust.

Kraus came to be virtually synonymous with such lyric tenor roles as Werther, Faust,
Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Nemorino, and Arturo. He was also known for his
performances of Spanish music, notably many classics from the zarzuela repertoire,
which he continued to perform live on stage in Spain until the end of his career, and
many of which he recorded complete for EMI Spain as well as for his own label,
Carillon.

Thanks to his superlative technique and careful husbanding of his vocal resources,
Kraus sang onstage until his early 70s. He studied voice technique in Milan with
Mercedes Llopart.

Kraus was also noted for extremely refined musicianship, accompanied by a seemingly
effortless high register. As a result, many opera connoisseurs consider him to be one of
the best tenors of the end of the 20th century. He was admired for his cultivated musical
education and his complete respect for his chosen profession. His first priority was the
integrity of his artistic interpretation of a piece, rather than his formidable range and
excellent technique.
He performed all over the world, including the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Teatro
Municipal in Caracas, Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile, Teatro Municipal in Rio de
Janeiro, and the Liceu in Barcelona.

In 1991, Kraus was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award. In 1997, his home city of
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria opened The Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in his honor.

The loss of his wife in 1997 affected Kraus so deeply that he stopped performing for
eight months. A proud and strong-willed man, he eventually returned to the stage and to
teaching. He said, "I don't have the will for singing but I must do it, because, in a sense,
it is a sign that I have overcome the tragedy. Singing is a form of admitting that I'm
alive."

Kraus died on 10 September 1999 in Madrid, at the age of 71, after a long illness.