Ivar F. Andresen is Norway's biggest bass icon. He is one of the best bass singers in history and was especially known as Wagner and Mozart interpreter. Andresen made his debut in the Stockholm Opera. Several foreign scenes showed interest, and in 1925 Andresen accepted a commitment to the Dresden Opera. Here Wagner's and Mozart's bass roles became the core of his repertoire, but he also contributed to the Verdi Renaissance in Dresden. At the invitation of Siegfried Wagner, Andresen joined Bayreuth in 1927. Here he sang under conductors such as Toscanini, Richard Strauss and Karl Elmendorff.
He sang at Covent Garden, at the Metropolitan, and then Berlin became his permanent residence for both Städtische Oper and Staatsoper. Ivar F. Andresen was known for a voice that deeply influenced the audience. His voice was authoritarian, but a reflective and emotional voice and his appearance nuanced. Today, many people know Andresen's face from the IFA loom.