Torsten Ralf

Torsten Ralf (2 January 1901 – 27 April 1954) was a Swedish operatic tenor, particularly associated with Wagner and Strauss roles, one of the leading dramatic tenors/heldentenors of the inter-war period.

He created Apollo in Strauss's Daphne in 1938, and was part of the premiere of Heinrich Sutermeister's Die Zauberinsel [de] in 1942.

Ralf made guest appearances at the Royal Opera House in London, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

He made his debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1945, as Lohengrin under the baton of Fritz Busch; he sang at the Met for three seasons.

Ralf died unexpectedly in Stockholm in 1954, but several recordings survive, notably his excerpts of Lohengrin with Tiana Lemnitz as Elsa, as Tristan with Helen Traubel as Isolde, as well as scenes from Die Frau ohne Schatten with Hilde Konetzni.