Gerhard Stolze
Encyclopedia
Gerhard Stolze was a German tenor
.
A character tenor
best known as a Wagner
singer. His most famous roles were Mime (Das Rheingold
, Siegfried
), David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
), Loge (Das Rheingold
), Aegisth (Elektra
) and Herod (Salome
). He also sang the Captain in Wozzeck
and, the roles of Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream
) and the Emperor Nero, both of which were originally written for countertenor
. He recorded Mozart's high-tenor Singspiel
roles, Monostatos
and Pedrillo.
He portrays Mime on both the studio recordings of Siegfried
by Herbert von Karajan
and Georg Solti
.
His voice was very high, thin, and piercing, and capable of an extraordinary range of colors. His style sharply divided critics and audiences, especially in the roles of Mime and Herod. It was denigrated as being over-neurotic, glorified Sprechstimme by some, while others praised it for its deep characterisation and astonishing virtuosity.
He made his debut in 1949 at the State Opera in Dresden
as Moser, one of the Mastersingers in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
, the same role in which he was make his first appearance at the Bayreuth Festival
in 1951. He was a member of the Berlin State Opera
from 1953–1961. Other house debuts include the Vienna State Opera
in 1957, the Covent Garden
in 1960, (as Mime in a complete Ring under Solti,) and the Metropolitan Opera
in 1968 as Loge. He sang in the first performances or first stagings of Werner Egk's Der Revisor, Heimo Erbse's Julietta, Carl Orff's Oedipus der Tyrann, Frank Martin's Le mystère de la Nativité, and Giselher Klebe's Jacobowsky und der Oberst.
He can be seen on video in Karajan's filmed Das Rheingold.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
.
A character tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
best known as a Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
singer. His most famous roles were Mime (Das Rheingold
Das Rheingold
is the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
, Siegfried
Siegfried (opera)
Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner. It received its premiere at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 16 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of The Ring...
), David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
), Loge (Das Rheingold
Das Rheingold
is the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
), Aegisth (Elektra
Elektra (opera)
Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
) and Herod (Salome
Salome (opera)
Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde. Strauss dedicated the opera to his friend Sir Edgar Speyer....
). He also sang the Captain in Wozzeck
Wozzeck
Wozzeck is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama Woyzeck left incomplete by the German playwright Georg Büchner at his death. Berg attended the first production in Vienna of Büchner's...
and, the roles of Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (opera)
A Midsummer Night's Dream is an opera with music by Benjamin Britten and set to a libretto adapted by the composer and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream...
) and the Emperor Nero, both of which were originally written for countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
. He recorded Mozart's high-tenor Singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
roles, Monostatos
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
and Pedrillo.
He portrays Mime on both the studio recordings of Siegfried
Siegfried (opera)
Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner. It received its premiere at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 16 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of The Ring...
by Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor. To the wider world he was perhaps most famously associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, of which he was principal conductor for 35 years...
and Georg Solti
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
.
His voice was very high, thin, and piercing, and capable of an extraordinary range of colors. His style sharply divided critics and audiences, especially in the roles of Mime and Herod. It was denigrated as being over-neurotic, glorified Sprechstimme by some, while others praised it for its deep characterisation and astonishing virtuosity.
He made his debut in 1949 at the State Opera in Dresden
Semperoper
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...
as Moser, one of the Mastersingers in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
, the same role in which he was make his first appearance at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
in 1951. He was a member of the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
from 1953–1961. Other house debuts include the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
in 1957, the Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in 1960, (as Mime in a complete Ring under Solti,) and the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in 1968 as Loge. He sang in the first performances or first stagings of Werner Egk's Der Revisor, Heimo Erbse's Julietta, Carl Orff's Oedipus der Tyrann, Frank Martin's Le mystère de la Nativité, and Giselher Klebe's Jacobowsky und der Oberst.
He can be seen on video in Karajan's filmed Das Rheingold.
Discography
- 1951 - Die Meistersinger von NürnbergDie Meistersinger von NürnbergDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
(WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
), conducted by Herbert von KarajanHerbert von KarajanHerbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor. To the wider world he was perhaps most famously associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, of which he was principal conductor for 35 years...
(Role: Moser) - 1951 - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner), conducted by Rudolf KempeRudolf KempeRudolf Kempe was a German conductor.- Biography :Kempe was born in Dresden, where from the age of fourteen he studied at the Dresden State Opera School. He played oboe in the opera orchestra of Dortmund and then in the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, from 1929...
(Role: Moser) - 1951 - ParsifalParsifalParsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail, and on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail.Wagner first conceived the work...
(Wagner), conducted by Hans KnappertsbuschHans KnappertsbuschHans Knappertsbusch was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner and Richard Strauss....
(Role: Knappe 4) - 1952 - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Moser)
- 1952 - Tristan und IsoldeTristan und IsoldeTristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
(Wagner), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Hirte) - 1952 - Parsifal (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Knappe 3)
- 1953 - Parsifal (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Knappe)
- 1953 - Tristan und Isolde (Wagner), conducted by Eugen Jochum (Role: Hirte)
- 1953 - Das RheingoldDas Rheingoldis the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
(Wagner), conducted by Clemens KraussClemens KraussClemens Heinrich Krauss was an Austrian conductor and opera impresario, particularly associated with the music of Richard Strauss.-Biography:...
(Role: Froh) - 1953 - Das Rheingold (Wagner), conducted by Joseph KeilberthJoseph KeilberthJoseph Keilberth was a German conductor who specialized in opera.He started his career in the State Theatre of his native city, Karlsruhe. In 1940 he became director of the German Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague. Near the end of World War II he became principal conductor of the Dresden...
(Role: Froh) - 1953 - LohengrinLohengrin (opera)Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
(Wagner), conducted by Joseph Keilberth (Role: Ein Edle) - 1954 - Lohengrin (Wagner), conducted by Eugen JochumEugen JochumEugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
(Role: Ein Edle) - 1954 - Parsifal (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Knappe)
- 1954 - OtelloOtelloOtello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
(VerdiGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
), conducted by Herbert KegelHerbert KegelHerbert Kegel was a German conductor.Kegel was born in Dresden. He studied conducting with Karl Böhm and composition with Boris Blacher at the Dresden Conservatory from 1935 to 1940...
(Role: Cassio) - 1954 - TannhäuserTannhäuser (opera)Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
(Wagner), conducted by Joseph Keilberth (Role: Heinrich) - 1955 - Tannhäuser (Wagner), conducted by André CluytensAndré CluytensAndré Cluytens was a Belgian-born French conductor who was active in the concert hall, opera house and recording studio. His repertoire extended from Viennese classics through French composers to 20th century works...
(Role: Heinrich) - 1956 - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner), conducted by André Cluytens (Role: David)
- 1956 - Parsifal (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Knappe 3)
- 1956 - Luisa MillerLuisa MillerLuisa Miller is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play Kabale und Liebe by Friedrich von Schiller. The first performance was given at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on December 8, 1849...
(Verdi), conducted by Herbert Kegel (Role: Rodolfo) - 1958 - Lohengrin (Wagner), conducted by André Cluytens (Role: Ein Edle)
- 1958 - Parsifal (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Knappe)
- 1958 - Das Rheingold (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Mime)
- 1958 - SiegfriedSiegfried (opera)Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner. It received its premiere at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 16 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of The Ring...
(Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Mime) - 1959 - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner), conducted by Erich LeinsdorfErich LeinsdorfErich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
(Role: David) - 1960 - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: David)
- 1960 - Die FledermausDie FledermausDie Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
(Johann StraussJohann Strauss IIJohann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Orlofsky) - 1960 - Das Rheingold (Wagner), conducted by Rudolf KempeRudolf KempeRudolf Kempe was a German conductor.- Biography :Kempe was born in Dresden, where from the age of fourteen he studied at the Dresden State Opera School. He played oboe in the opera orchestra of Dortmund and then in the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, from 1929...
(Role: Loge) - 1960 - Tristan und Isolde (Wagner), conducted by Karl BöhmKarl BöhmKarl August Leopold Böhm was an Austrian conductor. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century.- Education :...
(Role: Hirte) - 1961 - Parsifal (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Knappe 4)
- 1961 - Antigonae (OrffCarl OrffCarl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
), conducted by Ferdinand LeitnerFerdinand LeitnerFerdinand Leitner was a German conductor. Leitner studied under Franz Schreker, Julius Prüwer, Artur Schnabel and Karl Muck. He also was a composition student with Robert Kahn. Starting as a pianist, through the help of Fritz Busch, he became a conductor in the 1930s...
(Role: Ein Wächter) - 1961 - Tannhäuser (Wagner), conducted by Wolfgang SawallischWolfgang SawallischWolfgang Sawallisch is a retired German conductor and pianist.-Biography:Sawallisch was born in Munich, and studied composition and pianoforte there privately: at the conclusion of the war, in 1946 he continued his studies at the Munich High School for Music and passed his final examination for...
(Role: Walter) - 1962 - Tannhäuser (Wagner), conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch (Role: Walter)
- 1962 - Parsifal (Wagner), conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch (Role: Knappe)
- 1962 - Lohengrin (Wagner), conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch (Role: Ein Edle)
- 1962 - Tristan und Isolde (Wagner), conducted by Karl Böhm (Role: Hirte)
- 1962 - Siegfried (Wagner), conducted by Georg SoltiGeorg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
(Role: Mime) - 1963 - L'incoronazione di PoppeaL'incoronazione di PoppeaL'incoronazione di Poppea is an Italian baroque opera comprising a prologue and three acts, first performed in Venice during the 1642–43 carnival season. The music, attributed to Claudio Monteverdi, is a setting of a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello...
(MonteverdiClaudio MonteverdiClaudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Nerone) - 1965 - WozzeckWozzeckWozzeck is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama Woyzeck left incomplete by the German playwright Georg Büchner at his death. Berg attended the first production in Vienna of Büchner's...
(BergAlban BergAlban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
), conducted by Karl Böhm (Role: Captain) - 1965 - SalomeSalome (opera)Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde. Strauss dedicated the opera to his friend Sir Edgar Speyer....
(Richard StraussRichard StraussRichard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
), conducted by Georg Solti (Role: Herodes) - 1966 - FalstaffFalstaff (opera)Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
(Verdi), conducted by Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
(Role: Dr. Caius) - 1966 - Boris GodunovBoris Godunov (opera)Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
(MussorgskyModest MussorgskyModest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Shuiski, The Simpleton) - 1966 - Oedipus der Tyrann (Orff), conducted by Rafael KubelíkRafael KubelíkRafael Jeroným Kubelík was a Czech conductor and composer.-Early life:Kubelík was born in Býchory, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, today's Czech Republic. He was the sixth child of the Bohemian violinist Jan Kubelík, whom the younger Kubelík described as "a kind of god to me." His mother was a Hungarian...
(Role: Oedipus) - 1966 - Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile (GounodCharles GounodCharles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
), conducted by Igor MarkevitchIgor MarkevitchIgor Markevitch was a Ukrainian, Italian, and French composer and conductor.- Origin :Igor Markevich was born in Kiev, to an old family of Ukrainian Cossack starshyna ennobled in the 18th century...
(Role: Tenor) - 1967 - Das Rheingold (Wagner), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Loge)
- 1967 - ElektraElektra (opera)Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
(R. Strauss), conducted by Georg Solti (Role: Aegisth) - 1968 - Das Rheingold (Wagner), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Loge)
- 1967 - Das Rheingold (Wagner), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Loge)
- 1968 - Siegfried (Wagner), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Mime)
- 1968 - Carmina BuranaCarmina Burana (Orff)Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana...
(Orff), conducted by Eugen Jochum (Role: Tenor) - 1969 - Die Zauberflöte (MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
), conducted by Georg Solti (Role: Monostatos) - 1969 - Siegfried (Wagner), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Mime)
- 1973 - Das Rheingold (Wagner), conducted by Herbert von Karajan (Role: Mime)
- 1976 - Tristan und Isolde (Wagner), conducted by Horst SteinHorst SteinHorst Walter Stein was a German conductor.- Biography :...
(Role: Hirte)
External sources
- Short online bio
- Wagnerian Tenors and Heldentenors
- Entry in Oxford Dictionary of Music via Oxford Music Online.