Georg Unger (singer)

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Georg Unger

Georg Unger ( March 6, 1837 in Leipzig - February 2, 1887 ibid) was a German opera singer with a tenor voice . He excelled as a heroic tenor and became known as the first Siegfried in Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen at the Bayreuth Festival in 1876.

life and work

Georg Unger first studied theology , but then took singing lessons from the Munich singing teacher Julius Hey (1832–1902). He made his debut at the opera house in 1867 , then was signed to Kassel for two seasons. This was followed by engagements in Bremen, two seasons at the Neustrelitz Court Theater and one season each at the Hamburg City Theater, the Elberfeld City Theater, the Mannheim Court Theater and the Munich Court Opera . He also performed in Brno in Thuringia , in Wuppertal and in Zurich . The well-known Wagner conductor Hans Richter heard him in Mannheim, who recommended the tenor to Bayreuth. He sang with Richard Wagner in Bayreuth, with excerpts from Tannhäuser . The composer was immediately enthusiastic and wanted to occupy it as a box in the Rheingold . He studied this role in 1875 during a long stay in Bayreuth, but then sang Froh (in Rheingold ) and Siegfried (in Siegfried and Götterdämmerung ) in the first complete performance of the Ring des Nibelungen at the Bayreuth Festival in 1876 . Matthew Gurewitsch described this as "a combination of lyrical walking around and marathon-like throat-out-singing that is more than bizarre." Kutsch / Riemens write:

"The choice fell on him because there was hardly one among the hero tenors of the time who was able to fulfill the necessary requirements for this role and its unusual demands on the interpreter."

The world premieres of Siegfried and Götterdämmerung on August 16 and 17, 1876 in Bayreuth were a great success for Wagner, although it is questionable for the singer too. Viewers reported that his presentation was disappointing. Both Amalie Materna as Brünnhilde and Max Schlosser as mime would have put him in the shade. According to another source, Wagner is said to have regretted this line-up in retrospect, because Heinrich Vogl would have met his expectations as a singer better. Georg Unger was determined to be a Wagner singer after his engagement in Bayreuth. In 1877 he sang at the Wagner concerts under Hans Richter at the Royal Albert Hall in London. After that he is said to have been dropped by Wagner. He got only two permanent engagements: 1877–78 in Frankfurt and 1878–79 in Leipzig. On September 21 and 22, 1878, on the occasion of Michaelmas Mass, the Leipzig premieres of Siegfried and Götterdämmerung took place, which, after Bayreuth and Munich, completed the third Ring cycle. Georg Unger sang Siegfried again. In 1881 his stage career was essentially over, after which there were only a few guest performances. In 1882 and 1883 he took over Siegfried again in Angelo Neumann's Wandering Wagner Theater in Brussels and in a number of Italian cities. Until 1884 he is said to have made guest appearances in different places, especially at the opera house in his hometown.

He was married to Marie Haupt (1849–1928), a soprano who appeared with him at the Bayreuth Festival in 1876, she sang Freia, Gerhild and Waldvogel.

His stage career came to an end at the age of 44 and died shortly before his 50th birthday.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Matthew Gurewitsch: Desperately Seegang Siegfried , Opera News , April 2009.
  2. ↑ Eckart Kröplin: Richard Wagner Chronicle. Springer-Verlag 2016, p. 488.
  3. ↑ Jerzy Marian Michalak: Essays on the music and theater history of Danzig from the 17th to the 20th century. Frank & Timme 2012, ISBN 978-3-86596-418-2 , p. 227.
personal data
SURNAME Unger, Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German opera singer with a tenor voice
DATE OF BIRTH March 6, 1837
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH February 2, 1887
Place of death Leipzig