By IVAR ANDRESEN (Bass)
Ivar Andresen was born in Oslo, the capital of Norway, and from an early age showed an inclination to go on the stage. Eventually he was sent to Stockholm in-order to study singing under Gills W. Bratt , one of the leading professors of the city. In 1919 he joined the Royal Opera of Stockholm, where he remained until 1027, when he moved to Dresden. There is an amusing story about Andresen when he appealed at Bayreuth that year in the rôle of Hager. in Wagner's Gotterdümmerung. During a rehearsal Andresen sang a long sustained passage in one breath, the control of which was so remarkable that the conductor, Karl Muck , exclaimed : 'If this fellow does not breathe quickly, I shall choke!' Since that time Andresen has secured great successes at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the May Festivals in Paris, and at Covent Garden.