Richard Versalle
Encyclopedia
Richard Versalle was an American operatic tenor
, who had an international career including performances at the Bayreuth Festival
and the Vienna State Opera
. He died while singing in a performance of The Makropulos Case, at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City.
. After serving in the submarine branch of the US Navy
, he worked in business while studying singing. He was initially known as a concert and oratorio
singer and did not make his operatic stage debut until the age of 45 when he sang Augustin Moser in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
at Chicago Lyric Opera. He specialised in the heavier tenor roles such as the title role in Otello
, Florestan in Fidelio
, Tristan in Tristan und Isolde
, and most notably the title role in Tannhäuser
, which he sang at Bayreuth in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989, as well as in Genoa, Tokyo, Vienna, Bonn, and the Met.
Versalle made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera on 8 December 1978, when he sang the minor role of the Messenger in Aida
. After that, he sang primarily in Europe and did not return to the Met until 1992 when he sang Tannhäuser. In 1995, he was again at the Met singing Jacob Schmidt in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
, in John Dexter
's production.
Versalle died on 5 January 1996, while portraying Vitek (an elderly law clerk) in what was to have been the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Janáček's The Makropulos Case. Only a few minutes into the performance, and after singing the line "You can only live so long" while halfway up a 20-foot (6 meter) ladder, he suffered a fatal heart attack, and fell onto the stage.
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...
, who had an international career including performances 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...
and 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...
. He died while singing in a performance of The Makropulos Case, at 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 New York City.
Biography
Versalle was born in Muskegon, MichiganMuskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
. After serving in the submarine branch of the US Navy
Submarines in the United States Navy
There are two major types of submarines in the United States Navy: ballistic missile submarines and attack submarines. In the U.S. Navy, all combatant submarines are nuclear-powered. Ballistic subs have a single, strategic mission: carrying nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missiles...
, he worked in business while studying singing. He was initially known as a concert and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
singer and did not make his operatic stage debut until the age of 45 when he sang Augustin Moser 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,...
at Chicago Lyric Opera. He specialised in the heavier tenor roles such as the title role in Otello
Otello
Otello 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....
, Florestan 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...
, Tristan in Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan 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...
, and most notably the title role 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...
, which he sang at Bayreuth in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989, as well as in Genoa, Tokyo, Vienna, Bonn, and the Met.
Versalle made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera on 8 December 1978, when he sang the minor role of the Messenger in Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
. After that, he sang primarily in Europe and did not return to the Met until 1992 when he sang Tannhäuser. In 1995, he was again at the Met singing Jacob Schmidt in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is a political-satirical opera composed by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht. It was first performed in Leipzig on 9 March 1930.-Composition history:...
, in John Dexter
John Dexter
John Dexter was an English theatre, opera, and film director.- Theatre :Born in Derby, England, Dexter left school at the age of fourteen to serve in the British army during World War II. Following the war, he began working as a stage actor before turning to producing and directing shows for...
's production.
Versalle died on 5 January 1996, while portraying Vitek (an elderly law clerk) in what was to have been the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Janáček's The Makropulos Case. Only a few minutes into the performance, and after singing the line "You can only live so long" while halfway up a 20-foot (6 meter) ladder, he suffered a fatal heart attack, and fell onto the stage.
Recordings
- Mahler: Symphony No.8Symphony No. 8 (Mahler)The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. Because it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces it is frequently called the "Symphony of a Thousand", although the work is often performed with fewer than a...
– London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic OrchestraThe London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
and Choir, Klaus TennstedtKlaus TennstedtKlaus Tennstedt was a German conductor from Merseburg; he conducted such orchestras as the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Kiel Opera in Northern Germany; North German Radio Orchestra, in Hamburg; the Minnesota Orchestra; and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.-Life and career:He studied violin and...
(conductor). Label: EMI CD - Wagner: Tannhäuser – Bayreuth FestivalBayreuth FestivalThe 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...
Orchestra and Chorus, Giuseppe SinopoliGiuseppe Sinopoli-Biography:Sinopoli was born in Venice, Italy, and later studied at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice under Ernesto Rubin de Cervin and at Darmstadt, including being mentored in composition with Karlheinz Stockhausen...
(conductor). Label: Euroarts DVD - Wagner: Tristan und Isolde – Teatro Real MadridTeatro RealThe Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
Orchestra and Chorus, Peter SchneiderPeter Schneider (conductor)Peter Schneider is an Austrian conductor and opera administrator.Schneider served as kapellmeister of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf-Duisburg from 1961 to 1968; general music director of the Bremer Philharmoniker from 1978 to 1985; opera director and general music director of...
(conductor). Label: Fiori CD
Sources
- Bayreuther FestspieleBayreuth FestivalThe 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...
, Richard Versalle - Davis, Peter G., "The Makropulos Curse", New York Magazine, 29 January 1996.
- Forbes, Elizabeth, "Obituary: Richard Versalle", The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 11 January 1996 - Holloway, Lynette, "Richard Versalle, 63, Met Tenor, Dies After Fall in a Performance", New York Times, 7 January 1996.
- Metropolitan Opera, Versalle, Richard (Tenor), performance record on the MetOpera Database