McCracken, James Obituary

McCracken, James attended Horace Mann High School in Gary, IN. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Mccracken, James.

Graduation Year	Class of 1944
Date of Passing	Apr 29, 1988
About	Operatic tenor James McCracken, one of the greatest modern interpreters of the title role in Verdi's "Otello," died Friday, April 29, 1988 in New York at 61 of complications from a stroke. McCracken had been admitted two weeks earlier to Roosevelt Hospital after a respiratory ailment had forced him to cancel his performances last month. In recent seasons, McCracken had become a favorite of Baton Rouge audiences. He performed to great acclaim with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra in 1985 with soprano Martina Arroyo. Last fall, he starred in a fund-raising performance of musical selections and reminiscences called "An Evening with James McCracken," to benefit the Baton Rouge Opera. "He made a tremendous success here," BRSO conductor James Paul said Monday, "and he was a great friend of the Baton Rouge Opera. I will miss him terribly. He was a magnificent tenor and a wonderful human being. I am just devastated." "The nice thing is that at least he went out when his career was on the upswing again," Paul added. "He was singing a lot, and singing very well. I think the Met had treated him very badly." Paul was referring to McCracken's much-publicized break with the Metropolitan Opera, after a conflict over the tenor's treatment in the company's "Live From the Met" TV broadcasts. McCracken returned to the Met in 1983, and had been scheduled to sing performances of "Il Trovatore" there this spring. At an age when most tenors are retiring, McCracken was experiencing a second burst of energy in his career. Like his contemporaries Jon Vickers and James King, both also in their early 60s, he was singing heroic tenor roles with barely diminished vocal authority. He appeared at Carnegie Hall in December in a rare concert performance of Ottorino Respighi's "La Fiamma" and performed as Florestan in "Fidelio" in December and January with the Washington Opera. McCracken leapt into operatic prominence in 1960 when he sang "Otello" to great acclaim in Washington, Zurich, and Vienna. McCracken's San Francisco Opera debut in 1962 as "Otello" was declared a sensation. His dark-timbered, fervent tenor and emotional intensity were a powerful match for the long and difficult role. It is believed that McCracken sang "Otello" more often than any tenor in history. He was born Dec. 16, 1926, in Gary, Ind. While in a Navy choir, McCracken was heard by a music-loving officer who suggested he try for an opera career. With the help of the GI Bill, he sang his way through two years of music study at Columbia University. His opera debut was as Rodolfo in "La Boheme" at the Central City, Colo., Opera in 1952. His Met debut the next year was as Parpignol the toy-seller in Act II of "La Boheme." He and his wife, mezzo-soprano Sandra Warfield, who was singing principal roles at the Met, left for Europe in 1957 so that McCracken could further his career. They wrote a book about their experiences, "A Star in the Family." McCracken returned to the Metropolitan Opera in triumph in 1963, becoming the first American native to sing "Otello" at the Met. In the 1970s he starred in new productions at the Met of "Aida," "Carmen," "Otello," "Le Prophete" and "Tannhaeuser." The break with the Met came in 1978 over the company's unwillingness to book McCracken for some TV broadcasts. He returned and sang at the company's centennial celebration in 1983. He also joined Leontyne Price for her four farewell performances as "Aida." The last one, in January 1984, was televised. In addition to his wife, McCracken's survivors include a son, John McCracken, of Freeport, N.Y.; a daughter, Ahna McCracken-Bogy, of New York; and a sister, Jeanyellen Straight, of Huntington, Ind.