Niels Hansen

Niels Jacob Hansen, often just Niels Hansen, was first a house painter (or an upholsterer, depending on sources). He then studied singing with Valdemar Linke in Copenhagen and Jean de Reszke (1911/12) in Paris and made his debut as Rodolfo at the Royal Opera Copenhagen on November 27th, 1909. As late as 1942 – when he was 58 – he still played the same part at the Royal Opera... and did well, according to reviews. Hansen spent most of his career at the that house, for more than 40 years from 1909 to the end of 1949, all the time singing major roles. In 1912 he started his recording career, and in 1918 he was appointed Kongelig Kammersanger. He made guest appearances in 1914 and 1939 at the opera in Stockholm and in 1932 at the opera in Warsaw.

He was also highly regarded as an oratorio and concert singer. In their youth, he and Lauritz Melchior sang together in the "Bel Canto" male choir, where Hansen was the tenor soloist and Melchior a bass! That choir, with Hansen and Melchior, also made a great number of recordings.

Hansen's repertory included: Rodolfo, Cavaradossi, Lenskij, Lohengrin, Manrico, Alfredo, Radames, Pinkerton, Florestan, Parsifal (1914, premiere in Danish), Canio, Turiddu, Tamino, Max, Stolzing, Tannhäuser, Siegfried, Pedro, Faust, José, Hoffmann, Dmitrij, David (Saul og David by C. Nielsen), Otello... For many years, he had considerable difficulties when singing dramatic parts, but eventually, he managed to make them his own.
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Reference 2 (relevant page no longer online)
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