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Born in Gary, Indiana, on 16 December 1926, James
Eugene McCracken's vocal tuition began with a local
Church choir during his early childhood and later on he
sang in the Blue Jacket Choir of the American Navy during
the 2nd World War. Considerably talented he decided to
study music at the University of Colombia and received
private tuition from Walter Ezekiel and Mario Pagano in
New York, and later on studied with Elsa Seyfert in Konstanz.
His debut came in 1950 at the Central City
Opera of New York as Rodolfo in La Bohème. 1953-57 he was
engaged as a student at the Metropolitan Opera of New York,
where he sang minor roles (he debuted as Perpignol in La
Boheme in 1953). 1957 he moved to Europe, made his debut
at the Vienna State Opera and studied for two years with
Maestro Conati in Milano. After a short stay with the City
Theatre of Bonn he came to the Opera House of Zurich in 1959,
where he was immensely successful.
He sang Otello for the first time in Washington
in 1960, a role which he converted into one of his prime
interpretations, and made further performances of Otello
in Zürich and Wien the same year, 1963 at the Metropolitan
Opera of New York, and 1964 in London.
1960 he made a guest performance in Wien as
Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss, and regularly
visited the house ever since. From 1963 he assumed the role
as one of the most significant Helden Tenors at the Met,
with which house he remained until 1978. 1977 brought particular
successess as Tannhäuser. In his Met period he appeared
in 410 performances, of which he was particularly successful
in Pagliacci as Canio, as Manrico in Il Trovatore, as Samson
in Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saens (with his wife, Sandra
Warfield, as Dalila), as José in Carmen , as Radames in Aida,
as Calaf in Turandot and as Jean in Le Prophète by Meyerbeer.
He returned to the Met in 1983, just a few weeks before his
death, appearing as Manrico.
Of his recorded legacy, his recording for Allegro
Royale and Decca stand out (Fidelio, Pagliacci), as well
as his recordings for DGG ( Carmen), CBS (Le Prophète), HMV
(Otello under Barbirolli), Philips (Schönberg's "Gurrelieder"),
entrance hall (Verdi's Ernani).
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James McCracken passed away in New York on
the 29th of April 1988.
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