Haugland was among his generation's most-noted bassos, with a voice somewhere between basso cantante and basso profondo and the power and stamina for even the most demanding
Wagnerian roles. Though he specialized in
Wagner, he enjoyed great success in Russian roles as well and has occasionally appeared in other German operas (most notably as Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier) and Italian operas, as well as creating the role of the Commander in
Ruder's The Handmaid's Tale. He began singing early with the
Copenhagen Boys' Choir, though when he entered Copenhagen University, he studied medicine as well as singing. He made his
opera debut at the Den Norske Opera in 1968 as Brewer in
Martinu's The Comedy on the Bridge and in 1973, he first appeared at the
Royal Danish Opera, beginning a long-term association with that house. In 1975, he made his debut in England at
Covent Garden as Hunding in
Wagner's Die Walküre. His United States debut was at the St. Louis Opera Theater as Boris Godunov in 1979. Two years later, he made his debut at
La Scala as King Mark in
Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and his
1983 Bayreuth Festival debut as Hagen in Die Götterdämmerung. His premature death interrupted an ever-expanding repertoire, as he continued to add roles ranging from Gianni Schicchi to King Saul in Nielsen's Saul and David to Wozzeck, as well as creating new roles such as the Commander (2000) and Jason in
Liebermann's The Acquittal of Medea (1995). ~ Ann Feeney, All Music Guide