Per Grundén
Encyclopedia
Per Grundén was a Swedish singer and actor. He spent a substantial part of his career performing in Vienna at the State Opera
and the Volksoper
. Later in his operatic career he moved from the romantic lead roles to character parts. He became a screen actor, playing in a large number of Swedish films in the 1980s.
, Sweden. He studied at the Royal College of Music
in Stockholm. His teachers included the Scottish singer and vocal teacher Joseph Hislop
. He made his debut as a singer playing Sporting Life in Porgy and Bess
at the Stora Theatre in Gothenburg
. He remained at the Stora until 1949, when he joined the company of the Oscar Theatre
in Stockholm.
As a guest artist, Grundén appeared also at the Royal Opera, in Stockholm, in lyric tenor roles in opera and operetta. He made a particular success in the role of Symon in Der Bettelstudent
. In 1953 he joined the company of the Vienna State Opera
, appearing in opera and operetta roles. His roles there included the title part in Fra Diavolo
, Max in Der Freischutz
, Paris in La belle Hélène
and Danilo in The Merry Widow
. He also performed at the Vienna Volksoper
. In 1958, his contribution to music in Vienna was marked by his appointment as Kammersänger
. He left the Vienna Opera in 1963, but returned to make guest appearances.
Grundén played Danilo in many opera houses in Germany, including Hamburg
, Munich
and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein
. In Sweden he sang the role in a production at the Malmö City Theatre
under the direction of Ingmar Bergman
in 1954. From 1967 Grundén took to playing character roles. In 1967 he created the role of Lustigs-Per in Skinnarspelet by Rune Lindstrøm
and Jan Johansson, written specially for him. He played it in most years until 1982.
In his later career, Grundén acted in Swedish films, including the popular film series Jönssonligan
about an inept trio of gangsters. In the satirical comedy Äppelkriget (1971), he played the role of the German businessman Jean Volkswagner.
For the gramophone, Grundén recorded the role of Danilo for Decca
in the first stereophonic recording of The Merry Widow, produced in 1958 by John Culshaw
, with Hilde Gueden
, Waldemar Kmentt
and Emmy Loose
and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Robert Stolz
. In 1978 he sang in the LP "Ömsom Wien, ömsom Vatten", a collection of Viennese songs and Swedish sea shanties.
Grundén died in Trosa
, Sweden, at the age of 88.
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
and the Volksoper
Vienna Volksoper
The Vienna Volksoper is a major opera house in Vienna, Austria. It gives about three hundred performances of twenty-five productions during an annual season running from September through June....
. Later in his operatic career he moved from the romantic lead roles to character parts. He became a screen actor, playing in a large number of Swedish films in the 1980s.
Life and career
Grundén was born in EskilstunaEskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
, Sweden. He studied at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music, Stockholm
The Royal College of Music, Stockholm is the oldest institution of higher education in music in Sweden, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music...
in Stockholm. His teachers included the Scottish singer and vocal teacher Joseph Hislop
Joseph Hislop
Joseph Hislop was a lyric tenor who appeared in opera and oratorio and gave concerts around the world....
. He made his debut as a singer playing Sporting Life in Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
at the Stora Theatre in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. He remained at the Stora until 1949, when he joined the company of the Oscar Theatre
Oscarsteatern
Oscarsteatern or "Oscars" is one of Stockholm's finest private theatres and the most well-known musical theatre in Sweden. It's located at Kungsgatan 63 in central Stockholm....
in Stockholm.
As a guest artist, Grundén appeared also at the Royal Opera, in Stockholm, in lyric tenor roles in opera and operetta. He made a particular success in the role of Symon in Der Bettelstudent
Der Bettelstudent
Der Bettelstudent is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker with a German libretto by Camillo Walzel and Richard Genée, based on Les noces de Fernande by Victorien Sardou and The Lady of Lyons by Edward Bulwer-Lytton...
. In 1953 he joined the company of the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
, appearing in opera and operetta roles. His roles there included the title part in Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo (opera)
Fra Diavolo, ou L'hôtellerie de Terracine is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer Daniel Auber, from a libretto by Auber's regular collaborator Eugène Scribe...
, Max in Der Freischutz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, Paris in La belle Hélène
La belle Hélène
La belle Hélène , opéra bouffe in three acts, is an operetta by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
and Danilo in The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
. He also performed at the Vienna Volksoper
Vienna Volksoper
The Vienna Volksoper is a major opera house in Vienna, Austria. It gives about three hundred performances of twenty-five productions during an annual season running from September through June....
. In 1958, his contribution to music in Vienna was marked by his appointment as Kammersänger
Kammersänger
Kammersänger , abbreviation: "Ks.", literally means "Chamber singer." It is a German honorific title for distinguished singers...
. He left the Vienna Opera in 1963, but returned to make guest appearances.
Grundén played Danilo in many opera houses in Germany, including Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein
Deutsche Oper am Rhein
The Deutsche Oper am Rhein is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company....
. In Sweden he sang the role in a production at the Malmö City Theatre
Malmö City Theatre
Malmö City Theatre in Malmö, Sweden, is the main theatre of Malmö.- History :The first theatre in Malmö, Malmö Teater, was built in 1808 but became out of use in 1938. The Malmö City Theatre was built by the architect Sigurd Lewerentz between 1932 and 1944. From its opening in 1944 and until 1992...
under the direction of Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
in 1954. From 1967 Grundén took to playing character roles. In 1967 he created the role of Lustigs-Per in Skinnarspelet by Rune Lindstrøm
Rune Lindstrøm
Rune Lindstrøm was the first drummer in the Norwegian rock-band deLillos . He left in 1985 and stayed away until 2006, when he again entered the drum-chair of the band, which is now back to the original constitution....
and Jan Johansson, written specially for him. He played it in most years until 1982.
In his later career, Grundén acted in Swedish films, including the popular film series Jönssonligan
Jönssonligan
Jönssonligan, literally the Jönsson League, is featured in a series of comedic Swedish films. The gang consists of the criminal genius Charles Ingvar "Sickan" Jönsson, hence the name, and his two companions "Dynamit-Harry" and Ragnar Vanheden...
about an inept trio of gangsters. In the satirical comedy Äppelkriget (1971), he played the role of the German businessman Jean Volkswagner.
For the gramophone, Grundén recorded the role of Danilo for Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in the first stereophonic recording of The Merry Widow, produced in 1958 by John Culshaw
John Culshaw
John Royds Culshaw OBE was a pioneering English classical record producer for Decca Records. He recorded a wide range of music, but is best known for masterminding the first studio recording of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, begun in 1958.Largely self-educated musically, Culshaw worked for...
, with Hilde Gueden
Hilde Gueden
The Austrian soprano Hilde Gueden, or Güden was one of the most appreciated Straussian and Mozartian sopranos of her days...
, Waldemar Kmentt
Waldemar Kmentt
Waldemar Kmentt is an Austrian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the German repertory, both opera and operetta....
and Emmy Loose
Emmy Loose
Emmy Loose was an Austrian operatic soprano of Czech birth, particularly associated with soubrette roles....
and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Vienna Philharmonic is an orchestra in Austria, regularly considered one of the finest in the world....
conducted by Robert Stolz
Robert Stolz
Robert Elisabeth Stolz was an Austrian songwriter and conductor as well as a composer of operettas and film music.- Biography :...
. In 1978 he sang in the LP "Ömsom Wien, ömsom Vatten", a collection of Viennese songs and Swedish sea shanties.
Grundén died in Trosa
Trosa
Trosa is a locality and the seat of Trosa Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 4,633 inhabitants in 2005 and 11,417 in 2010 ....
, Sweden, at the age of 88.
Filmography
- 1949: Bohus Bataljon
- 1950: Min syster och jag
- 1951: Sköna Helena
- 1971: The Apple WarThe Apple WarThe Apple War is a 1971 Swedish comedy-drama film directed by Tage Danielsson, starring Gösta Ekman, Hans Alfredsson, Tage Danielsson, Monica Zetterlund and Max von Sydow. The political theme of the film is the battle between nature on the one hand and commercialisation and industrialisation on...
- 1973: Någonstans i Sverige (TV series)
- 1978: Hedebyborna (TV series)
- 1981: Varning för JönssonliganVarning för JönssonliganVarning för Jönssonligan is a Swedish movie about the gang Jönssonligan made in 1981. Filming dates: July 1981 – September 1981-Cast:*Gösta Ekman as Charles-Ingvar "Sickan" Jönsson*Ulf Brunnberg as Ragnar Vanheden*Nils Brandt as Rocky...
- 1982: Jönssonligan och Dynamit-HarryJönssonligan och Dynamit-HarryJönssonligan och Dynamit-Harry is a Swedish film about the gang Jönssonligan....
- 1982: Sagan om Heidi
- 1984: Jönssonligan får guldfeberJönssonligan får guldfeberJönssonligan får guldfeber is a Swedish film about the gang Jönssonligan made in 1984....
- 1985: Smugglarkungen
- 1986: Jönssonligan dyker upp igenJönssonligan dyker upp igenJönssonligan dyker upp igen is a 1986 Swedish comedy film, one of a series of films made about Jönssonligan, a gang of criminals.-Cast:* Gösta Ekman as Charles-Ingvar 'Sickan' Jönsson* Ulf Brunnberg as Ragnar Vanheden* Björn Gustafson as Dynamit-Harry...
- 1989: Jönssonligan på MallorcaJönssonligan på MallorcaJönssonligan på Mallorca is a Swedish film about the gang Jönssonligan, made in 1989.-Cast:*Gösta Ekman as Charles-Ingvar 'Sickan' Jönsson*Björn Gustafson as Dynamit-Harry...
- 1992: Jönssonligan och den svarta diamantenJönssonligan och den svarta diamantenJönssonligan och den svarta diamanten is a Swedish film about the gang Jönssonligan made in 1992.Ragnar Vanheden and Harry "Dynamit-Harry" Kruth find themselves hooked up with a confused doctor M.A. Busé in a scheme to steal the Romanov family's black diamond....
- 1995: Jönssonligans största kuppJönssonligans största kuppJönssonligan största kupp is a Swedish film about the gang Jönssonligan made in 1994....
- 1997: Tre kronorTre kronor (TV series)Tre kronor was a Swedish soap opera that aired on TV4 during the period 1994-1999. The series took place in the fictive middle class suburb Mälarviken, located in the vicinity of Stockholm. The exteriors were filmed in Sätra, a suburb of Stockholm, and the interiors were filmed in a studio in...
(TV series) - 2000: Jönssonligan spelar högtJönssonligan spelar högtJönssonligan spelar högt is a Swedish film about the gang Jönssonligan made in 2000.-Plot:Dynamit-Harry and Vanheden have left the criminal life behind them. Together with Harry's wife they are managing a small company together AB Alltjänst...