Matti Lehtinen (baritone)

[eschiss1]

This Finnish baritone, possibly best known for recordings of more recent/modern music but who also contributed to recordings of Humperdinck (Königskinder) and Aarre Merikanto (Juha), died Tuesday aged 100.

[tpaloj]

Very fine singer and teacher, he very nearly lost his life in the Finnish Continuation War from a Russian tank shell which missed him by a hair. He always emphasized the importance of clear diction in singing and left behind a legacy of recordings that are still regularly requested and heard in radio over here. He did concerts up to around 90 years of age.