Frans Vroons
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Frans Vroons
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Vroons studied voice in Amsterdam, later in Paris; already during his studies, he sang small parts in
the opera performances organized by the Wagnervereeniging (Wagner Association) in Amsterdam, plus he worked as a radio
reporter. Amsterdam's operatic history is
a rather confusing succession of more or less short-lived companies; in 1941, the umpteenth reorganization took place under
the auspices of the German occupiers, and the new company's first tenor was Frans Vroons. (He had no Nazi affiliations,
though, or he would have been punished after the war; the reborn Dutch state was appropriately unforgiving in that matter.)
Vroons was to stay with that company and its various successors for more than 20 years, his entire career. After World War II, he made numerous international guest appearances: at both the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique in Paris, Covent Garden, the New York City Center Opera, in San Francisco, Dublin, Stockholm, Bordeaux. From 1957 to 1965, he was artistic director of the then current Amsterdam opera company, and until 1971, he was head of the opera school there, worked as a stage director, and still sang the occasional performance. After his retirement, he taught voice. His most important roles were Pelléas, Alfredo, Cavaradossi and Don José; he also sang Tamino, des Grieux (Manon), Hoffmann, Florestan, Laca, Riccardo, Ägisth, Gonzalve (L'heure espagnole), Oedipus rex, Sellem (The rake's progress), and a lot of oratorio and lieder. Reference 1: Kutsch & Riemens, reference 2: Dutch Divas I would like to thank Thomas Silverbörg for the recording (Euryanthe). |
