Alexander Svéd, also called Sándor Svéd, Hungarian baritone, first studied violin at the conservatory of Budapest; then studied singing with Fritz Feinhals in Berlin, and with Mario Sammarco and Riccardo Stracciari in Milan. He made his début in Budapest in 1928 as Count di Luna in Il trovatore. He made his first appearance at the Vienna Staatsoper in 1936 and continued to sing there until 1939. He also sang at Covent Garden in 1936, and at the Salzburg festivals of 1936-38. In 1938 he appeared at La Scala in the title role of Macbeth, the first of several Milan roles that included Germont, Prince Igor, William Tell and Amfortas. After his 1940 Metropolitan début in Un ballo in maschera, he sang there regularly until his return to Hungary in 1950, when he rejoined the Budapest opera.
Peter Varnai remarked that “Sved was a somewhat stiff actor, but he had a fine technique, ample power, and an italianate, velvety beauty of tone. He was best suited to the Italian lyric repertory but capable of other, more dramatic roles such as Rigoletto, as well as Don Giovanni, Sachs and Telramund.”
This recording is from a live performance at the Metropolitan in 1940.