Alfredo Kraus (1927-1999) was a Spanish tenor, celebrated for elegance, technical security and long vocal discipline. Born in Las Palmas, he became one of the leading lyric tenors of the second half of the twentieth century.

Kraus was especially admired in bel canto, French opera and Mozart, with roles such as Alfredo, Edgardo, Werther and the Duke of Mantua central to his repertory. In the Pristine catalogue he appears in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Ettore Bastianini and Renata Scotto.

His singing was distinguished by clarity, style and an unusually well-preserved upper register. He preferred vocal proportion to theatrical excess, which helped keep the voice fresh for decades.

Kraus remains a model of lyric-tenor craft. His art has the snap of a perfectly folded white cuff: refined, exact and quietly dazzling.