| Biography | The Swedish baritone, Bernhard Sönnerstedt, studied with Karl Nygren-Kloster and then at the Stockholm Academy of Music from 1935 to 1938 (with Joseph Hislop and Julia Claussens) and at the College of Opera (with John Forsell and Gerda Lundquist), as well as for Dagmar Gustafsson and - after the war - with Giuseppe de Luca in Milan.
In 1940 Sönnerstedt made his debut the Royal Opera in Stockholm as Prince Gremin in Eugen Onegin by Tchaikovsky. He sang there in 1942-1943 as a member, as the holder of a scholarship. Apart from this year he was never tied to one theatre but gave special guest performances. He sang as a guest in Stockholm and at other Swedish opera stages, in roles as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mephisto in Faust by Charles Gounod, Escamillo in Carmen, four Dämonen in Hoffmanns Erzählungen and King Philipp in Don Carlos by Verdi. From 1943 he appeared frequently at the Stora Theater Göteborg, at the City Theatre of Malmoe and at the Stockholm Riksteater. At the Stora In 1966 he appeared at the Theatre Göteborg as Porgy in the Swedish premiere of Porgy and Bess. He had an even more important career in the concert hall. On concert tours in the Scandinavian countries, in England, Italy, France and Switzerland he showed himself to be a great interpreter of the works of J.S. Bach's early Baroque music. He was also a member of the Engelbrekt church choir.
Sönnerstedt was also a producer of musical broadcasts at the Swedish Radio and was chief and managing director of the Stora Theatre Göteborg. He was a member of the Swedish Music Academy. |