Kurt Moll
Encyclopedia
Kurt Moll is a German opera
tic bass
, now retired.
, Germany. As a child, he played the cello and hoped to become a great cellist. He also sang in the school choir, and the conductor encouraged him to concentrate on singing. He studied voice at the Köln Hochschule für Musik with Emmy Müller.
He joined the Cologne Opera at 20 and remained until 1961. He then sang for three years in Mainz
and five years in Wuppertal
. In 1969, he accepted an engagement with the Hamburg State Opera, and he then sang in all the major opera houses of Europe.
He made his US debut with the San Francisco Opera
as Gurnemanz in Richard Wagner
's Parsifal
in 1974. His Metropolitan Opera
debut followed four years later, when he sang the Landgraf in Tannhäuser
, Rocco in Fidelio
, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto
. From that time he has performed all over the world. He retired from stage in 2006. His last performance was the role of Nachtwächter in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
in the Münchner Opern-Festspiele. He continues giving master classes (as of January 2011).
He has made innumerable recordings of opera, sacred music, and lieder with many of the great conductors and piano-accompanists. In 1991, he won a Grammy Award
for his recording of Das Rheingold
. He can be seen in many roles on video, including Sarastro (twice), Osmin, the Commendatore, Dr. Bartolo (Mozart), Hunding, Gurnemanz, and Baron Ochs (several times).
His voice was notable for its range, a true infra-bass including full, resonant low and very-low notes with relaxed vibrato; also for its unusual combination of extreme size and purring, contrabassoon-like timbre. Although he was large enough for most of Wagner's noble-bass roles, he was not a thunderer and he never performed as Hagen
, Hans Sachs
, nor Wotan, nor as Boris Godunov
. His interpretations tended to be restrained and intelligent, even in buffo roles like Baron Ochs and Osmin. His recording of Schubert's philosophical "Lieder für Bass" set a new standard for these songs.
He lives in Cologne with his family.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
, now retired.
Biography
Moll was born in Buir, near CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany. As a child, he played the cello and hoped to become a great cellist. He also sang in the school choir, and the conductor encouraged him to concentrate on singing. He studied voice at the Köln Hochschule für Musik with Emmy Müller.
He joined the Cologne Opera at 20 and remained until 1961. He then sang for three years in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
and five years in Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
. In 1969, he accepted an engagement with the Hamburg State Opera, and he then sang in all the major opera houses of Europe.
He made his US debut with the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
as Gurnemanz in Richard 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...
's Parsifal
Parsifal
Parsifal 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...
in 1974. His 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...
debut followed four years later, when he sang the Landgraf in Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (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...
, Rocco in Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
. From that time he has performed all over the world. He retired from stage in 2006. His last performance was the role of Nachtwächter 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,...
in the Münchner Opern-Festspiele. He continues giving master classes (as of January 2011).
He has made innumerable recordings of opera, sacred music, and lieder with many of the great conductors and piano-accompanists. In 1991, he won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for his recording of 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...
. He can be seen in many roles on video, including Sarastro (twice), Osmin, the Commendatore, Dr. Bartolo (Mozart), Hunding, Gurnemanz, and Baron Ochs (several times).
His voice was notable for its range, a true infra-bass including full, resonant low and very-low notes with relaxed vibrato; also for its unusual combination of extreme size and purring, contrabassoon-like timbre. Although he was large enough for most of Wagner's noble-bass roles, he was not a thunderer and he never performed as Hagen
Götterdämmerung
is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen...
, Hans Sachs
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,...
, nor Wotan, nor as Boris Godunov
Boris 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,...
. His interpretations tended to be restrained and intelligent, even in buffo roles like Baron Ochs and Osmin. His recording of Schubert's philosophical "Lieder für Bass" set a new standard for these songs.
He lives in Cologne with his family.