Alexander Kipnis (1891-1978) was a Ukrainian-born bass, one of the great bass voices of the twentieth century. He sang in Europe and America, including major seasons at the Berlin State Opera, Bayreuth, Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera.

Kipnis was admired in Wagner, Mozart, Russian music and German song. In the Pristine catalogue he appears in Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart, bringing a voice of unusual depth and refinement to ensemble recordings.

His singing combined sonorous authority with textual intelligence and expressive flexibility. He was not merely a cavernous bass, but a musician who could colour a phrase with remarkable subtlety.

Kipnis remains one of the benchmark basses on record. His voice has the grandeur of dark oak, but it is carved with a very fine knife.