Wettergren, Gertrud (née Pålson)

views updated

Wettergren, Gertrud (née Pålson)

Wettergren, Gertrud (née Pålson), Swedish contralto; b. Eslöv, Feb. 17, 1897; d. Stockholm, June 1991. She studied at the Stockholm Cons., and later in London. She made her operatic debut as Cherubino at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 1922, and remained on its roster for 30 years. On Dec. 20,1935, she appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Amneris in Aida. She sang there until 1938, and also sang with the Chicago Opera (1936-38) and at London’s Covent Garden (1936, 1939). In 1925 she married Erik Wettergren, director of the National Museum of Stockholm. Among her most esteemed roles were Venus, Fricka, Brangäne, Dalila, Carmen, Mignon, Marfa, and Herodias; she also sang in many Swedish operas.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire