Oscar Arnoldson by Waldemar Dahlöff

Oscar Arnoldson (1830-1881); Swedish tenor.

He was the father of the famous soprano Sigrid Arnoldson (1861-1943). After a debut in the concert hall he made his debut on the opera stage at Stockholm in 1855. In 1858 he was engaged by the Royal Opera at Stockholm. Soon he became -together with the baritone Fritz Arlberg- the most important Swedish singer of his time. He had an extensive repertoire. In 1874 he sang the role of Lohengrin in the Swedish première of Wagner's eponymous opera. In 1870 he made successful guest appearances at Berlin. Despite his successes on stage and in concert hall, he fell into a depression and put finally voluntarily an end to his life during a cure stay in Karlovy Vary.