Claes-Håkan Ahnsjö (Tenor)

Born: August 1, 1942 - Stockholm, Sweden

The noted Swedish tenor, Claes-Håkan Ahnsjö, studied at the Teacher Training College in Stockholm. During his studies he took singing lessons with Erik Saedén, Aksel Schiøtz, and Max Lorenz in Stockholm.

Claes-Håkan Ahnsjö made his début in 1969 at the Swedish Royal Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. From 1969 he appeared regularly in the productions of the Swedish Opera’s summer season at Drottningholm. Since 1973 he has been under contract at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, where he has sung a large number of lyric tenor parts, including Idamante in Idomeneo, Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Des Grieux in Manon, David in Die Meistersinger, and the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring. In Munich he was made a Kammersänger in 1977.

Claes-Håkan Ahnsjö’s guest appearances took him to the major operatic and concert theatres of Europe, Japan and America. In 1975 he made his American début at the Kennedy Center in Washington in a performance of Haydn’s The Seasons conducted by Antal Doráti and the following year appeared in Massenet’s Thaïs at San Francisco. His operatic repertoire includes roles by Haydn, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, and Wagner. He also appeared as a soloist with orchestras, and gave Lieder recitals.

Source: Liner notes to the album ‘Haydn: Orlando Paladino’ conducted by Antal Dorati (Philips, late 1970’s); Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997); Liner notes to the album ‘J.S. Bach: Johannes-Passion’ conducted by Enoch zu Guttenberg (RCA Victor, 1992)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2001, June 2003); Matthias Hansen (November 2007 - Photo)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Enoch zu Guttenberg

Tenor

BWV 244, BWV 245

Eugen Jochum

Tenor

BWV 232

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