Eberhard Waechter

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Eberhard Waechter (born July 8, 1929 in Vienna ; † March 29, 1992 ibid) was an Austrian opera singer (baritone) and opera director. He was considered one of the most important baritones of the 20th century in the German and Italian intermediate subjects.

Life

Youth and education

Eberhard Waechter was born in Vienna as the son of a noble family of civil servants from Württemberg (Freiherren von Wächter). He went to a class with Waldemar Kmentt and Fritz Uhl and also studied with them. Waechter studied in Vienna with the singing teacher Elisabeth Radó and made his debut in 1953 as Silvio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci at the Vienna Volksoper . The actor , theater and opera director and general manager Alexander Waechter is his nephew.

Professional career

From 1955 he was a member of the Vienna State Opera , to which he remained loyal until the end of his life, although he embarked on a world career at the most important houses early on. Waechter sang at the Salzburg Festival in the title role in Don Giovanni and the Count in The Marriage of Figaro , at the Bayreuth Festival as one of the favorite artists Wieland Wagner's Amfortas in Parsifal , the Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde and his brilliant game, the Wolfram in Tannhäuser .

Waechter has made guest appearances at the Scala in Milan , the Metropolitan Opera in New York , the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden London and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires . He was one of Herbert von Karajan's favorite singers during his time as director of the Vienna State Opera .

Family crypt of the Barons von Wächter in the Vienna Central Cemetery , in which Eberhard Waechter is also buried.

In the mid-1960s, he suffered an early voice crisis from which he could not fully recover. The beauty of the voice never came back, but Waechter developed into one of the most charismatic singing actors of the 20th century. Late highlights were productions with Claudio Abbado ( Simon Boccanegra ) and Carlos Kleiber ( Die Fledermaus ), both at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.

From 1987 to 1992 he was director of the Vienna Volksoper, from 1991 to 1992 also director of the Vienna State Opera together with Ioan Holender as general secretary. He paid particular attention to rebuilding the ensemble.

On March 29, 1992, he died of a heart attack while walking in the woods. It rests in an honorary grave in the Vienna Central Cemetery (Alte Arkaden, left 33).

In commemoration, from 1997 to 2007 (by Casinos Austria AG) the Eberhard Waechter Medal was awarded to young musicians.

Games (selection)

Discography (selection)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Genealogical handbook of the nobility. Baron. Housing B / V . Main editor: Walter v. Hueck. tape 48 . CA Starke, Limburg an der Lahn 1970, entry Waechter (Waechter-Spittler), p. 404 and 408 .
personal data
SURNAME Waechter, Eberhard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian opera singer (baritone) and opera director
DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH March 29, 1992
Place of death Vienna