Gerd Nienstedt

Gerd Nienstedt during a rehearsal in 1987 (Photo: Sebastian Faust)

Gerd Nienstedt (born July 10, 1932 in Hanover ; † August 14, 1993 in Vienna ) was a German - Austrian opera singer ( bass / bass baritone ). He also worked as a theater director , director and professor of singing at the Vienna Conservatory .

Life

Singer

After studying singing with Otto Köhler in Hanover at the Opera School of the Academy for Music and Theater (today: University of Music, Theater and Media Hanover ), he went to the Stadttheater Bremerhaven as a young 1st bass player in 1954 , where he made his debut as King Heinrich in Lohengrin . His career took him through engagements in Gelsenkirchen (1955–1959), at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden (1959–1961) and at the Cologne Opera (1961–1972) in 1962 to Bayreuth .

He was a member of the ensemble of the Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth for 15 years (1962–1976). During this time he sang 14 different roles, including Klingsor , Gunther in Götterdämmerung , Donner , Hunding and Kothner . In 1965 he was a member of the premiere ensemble of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera The Soldiers at the Cologne Opera , in which he sang Haudy.

From 1964 to 1973 he was a member of the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera . In the period up to 1976 he was granted Austrian citizenship and the title of chamber singer . Gerd Nienstedt died as a result of an operation in Vienna.

He was engaged as a guest at all the major opera houses in the world: he sang at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels from 1964 to 1983 ; there he appeared as Orest, Rocco, Hagen, Gurnemanz and Hunding, among others. He had further engagements in 1968 at the Bavarian State Opera as King Wladislaw in Dalibor (conductor: Rafael Kubelík ), in 1970 at La Scala in Milan , and in 1977 and 1978 at the Salzburg Festival .

In 1979 he sang in the world premiere of the three-act version of the opera Lulu by Alban Berg Lulu at the Paris Opera , the role tamers and Rodrigo. (Direction: Patrice Chéreau , conductor: Pierre Boulez ). In 1987 he was soloist in the Gurre-Lieder by Arnold Schönberg at the Royal Albert Hall , London, conducted by Pierre Boulez.

Artistic director and director

• 1972–1975: Theater Bielefeld , chief dispatcher and deputy director
• 1975: Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden , chief dispatcher and deputy director
• 1981–1985: Artistic director of the municipal theater in Hof
• 1982–1988: Intendant and artistic director of the Eutin Festival
• 1985–1987: Director of the Detmold State Theater

Teaching

• Opera class at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory in Mainz
• Lecturer for scenic lessons in the opera class at the Northwest German Music Academy Detmold (since 1987 Detmold University of Music )
• Professor at the Conservatory of the City of Vienna

Sound carrier

Gerd Nienstedt is a. a. to be heard on the following CDs:

• Alban Berg - Lulu: Orchester de l'Opéra de Paris conducted by Pierre Boulez (1979) (Rodrigo) (also DVD)
• Gustav Mahler - Das Klagende Lied: London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez (1970)
• WA Mozart - Requiem: BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Colin Davis (1967)
• Giuseppe Verdi - Rigoletto: Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera conducted by Carlo Franci (1970) (Monterone)
• Richard Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Silvio Varviso (1974) (Kothner)
• Richard Wagner - The Mastersingers of Nuremberg: Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Georg Solti (1975) (Kothner)
• Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch (1962) (Reinmar)
• Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Otmar Suitner (1964) (Reinmar)
• Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Carl Melles (1966) (Biterolf)
• Richard Wagner - Das Rheingold: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Karl Böhm , (1966) (Donner)
• Richard Wagner - Die Walküre: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Karl Böhm, (1967) (Hunding)
• Richard Wagner - Tristan und Isolde: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Karl Böhm (1966) (helmsman)
• Richard Wagner - Parsifal: Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch
• Richard Wagner - Lohengrin: Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks conducted by Rafael Kubelík (1971) (Heerrufer)
• Richard Wagner - Das Rheingold: Gürzenich Orchestra conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch (1962)
• Bernd Alois Zimmermann - The Soldiers: Gürzenich Orchestra conducted by Michael Gielen (1965) (Haudy), Wergo 66982, mono