Helge von Bömches

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Helge von Bömches , actually Helge Bömches von Boor , (born September 18, 1933 in Brașov , Kingdom of Romania , † October 16, 2014 in Osnabrück ) was a Romanian - German opera singer with a bass voice .

Life

Family and education

Helge von Bömches was born as Helge Bömches von Boor . He came from a respected middle-class Saxon family in Transylvania . He was a cousin of the painter and graphic artist Friedrich von Bömches . He received the first name Helge from his musical mother, who was an admirer of the tenor Helge Rosvaenge .

He spent his childhood, youth and school days in Brașov; he graduated from school there with the Abitur. He received his musical training from the music teacher Victor Bickerich (1895–1974), the cantor of the Black Church in Brașov, and from his wife, the singer Medi Fabritius. He received training in voice training and solfeggio from the Bickerich-Fabritius couple , sang in the school boys' choir and took part in major church music performances under Bickerich's direction. He made his debut as a singer, first as a concert singer in the Black Church as Pilate in the St. Matthew Passion by Heinrich Schütz .

In 1952 the family was evacuated, like many members of the German minority in Romania. After his return to Brașov, von Bömches did his military service from April 1954 to November 1956 ; he worked as a working soldier on a construction site. His father died in the 1950s under unexplained circumstances as a forced laborer while building the Danube-Black Sea Canal . Von Bömches was unable to study music because his family was considered politically unreliable and the family members were classified as "unpleasant elements".

Career start in Romania

At an audition for the choir of the Brașov State Opera (Kronstädter Musiktheater), von Bömches was able to prevail against 45 competitors and was hired as the choir bass. Later there followed an engagement as a soloist, in the baritone voice . Von Bömches made his debut as a soloist in a German-language Fidelio performance. He was temporarily released for guest engagements in the political west. In Romania he sang in Iași and Bucharest in addition to Brașov .

International guest performances

In 1968 von Bömches first appeared abroad; the Italian conductor Napoleone Anovazzi had discovered him doing guest conductors at the Kronstadt Music Theater. In the early 1970s he had his musical breakthrough as an opera singer. An international career followed. From 1971 he appeared in smaller roles at the Salzburg Festival . He sang there a. a. the Herold in Otello (1971/1972; musical direction: Herbert von Karajan ), the Cappadozier in Salome (1977/1978; musical direction: Herbert von Karajan) and the second armored man in Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte (1978–1980; musical direction: James Levine ).

In the 1972/73 season he was engaged with a guest contract at the Vienna State Opera . There he sang a. a. the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos , Tom / Graf Warting in Un ballo in maschera , the Minister Don Fernando in Fidelio , and the roles of Second Soldier in Salome and Second Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte .

He joined in the further course of his career a. a. also at the Dublin Opera House (December 1987; title role in Don Giovanni ), in Bologna , Berlin , Geneva and Ravenna .

Escape and a new beginning in West Germany

1973 von Bömches appeared again at the Salzburg Festival, a. a. at a concert with the Mozarteum Orchestra conducted by Ernst Märzendorfer . Von Bömches used this foreign engagement, in agreement with his wife Marina, to flee to the West and did not return to Romania. He then lived for two years with a cousin in Munich who gave him an apartment in her house there. His wife Marina was finally able to travel to the West with the children.

From 1975 to 1977 von Bömches had his first permanent stage engagement in West Germany at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern .

Engagement at the Osnabrück Theater

From 1977 up to and including the 1990/91 season, von Bömches was a permanent member of the ensemble at the Osnabrück Theater . There he sang mainly the role of “Seriöse Basses”; however, he also took on numerous comic roles. In Osnabrück he sang almost all major roles in his field, including a. Osmin in The Abduction from the Seraglio (including in a new production in the 1988/89 season), Sarastro in The Magic Flute , Commander in Don Giovanni (including in a new production in the 1989/90 season), Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro (among others in the 1981/82 season in a new production), Basilio in The Barber of Seville , Rocco in Fidelio (including in a new production in the 1987/88 season), Daland in The Flying Dutchman (including a new production in the 1983/84 season ), Landgrave Hermann in Tannhäuser and Count Waldner in Arabella (including a new production in the 1984/85 season).

In the 1981/82 season he sang and played the role of the businessman Gardej Karpitsch Tortzow in the premiere of the 1930 opera Der Heiratsvermittler by Nikolai Nikolajewitsch Tscherepnin at the premiere in March 1982 . In the 1983/84 season and in November 1984, Bömches was a “tasteful” village elder Tommaso in a new production of the Tiefland opera, “with noticeably simple expressions trying to deal with the trivialities of the role” . In the 1984/85 season he sang the role of Ptolemy in a new production of the opera Julius Caesar . In the 1988/89 season he sang the composer Vincenzo Biscroma in the comical, rediscovered Donizetti opera Viva la Mamma and "led charmingly through the turbulent rehearsal." In the 1988/89 season he also took on the role of Riedinger in a new production of the Opera Mathis the painter . In May 1989 he sang the role of Businello in the German-language premiere of the opera Casanova returns home by Dominick Argento . In the 1990/91 season he sang the role of father-in-law Nonancourt in the play opera Der Florentiner Strohhut by Nino Rota , which had not been performed in Germany for over 30 years .

He also sang many smaller roles in Osnabrück: Dottore Grenvil in La traviata (1980/81 season), Mayor in Der Junge Lord (1982/83 season), Eremit in Der Freischütz (1983/84 season), Sequence in Ein Midsummer Night's Dream (season 1983/84), Titurel in Parsifal (1985/86 season), Lunardo in The Four Brutes by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (also 1985/86 season), First Craftsman in Wozzeck (1986/87 season) and Fuhrmann Hobson in Peter Grimes ( 1990/91 season).

After his permanent engagement, von Bömches continued to appear as a guest at the Theater Osnabrück (including the 1991/92 season and 1993/94 season; as a monk in Don Carlos ) and gave recitals in Greifswald , Karlsburg , Hanover and Osnabrück. In 1996 he took his final stage farewell. In 2010 he had his last musical appearance in public as part of the series of events “Das Rote Sofa” at the Osnabrück Theater. He sang the Sarastro aria "In these hallowed halls" again.

Private

In 1960 Helge von Bömches met his future wife, Marina b. Panek, know, a soprano who also advised him on vocal issues. It was originally an engineer for Thermodynamics been. The marriage had two children.

Audio documents

For the record , von Bömches only recorded two of his opera roles, which were made as studio recordings in connection with performances at the Salzburg Festival. For example, he sang the small role of the Cappadocian in Salome (1977) at EMI under Herbert von Karajan and the second armored man in Die Zauberflöte (1980; under James Levine) at RCA . However, there are some radio recordings and live recordings of operas.

literature

  • Helge von Bömches: A look behind the scenes or from the diary (m) of a singer's life. Hora Verlag, Hermannstadt / Sibiu 2011, ISBN 978-973-8226-96-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Holy Halls: Singer Helge von Bömches is dead . Obituary in: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung from October 20, 2014; accessed on December 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i In memory of the singer Helge von Bömches. Obituary in: Siebenbürgische Zeitung, November 3, 2014. Accessed December 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g “A look behind the scenes ...” with Helge von Bömches . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung für Romania, August 12, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ a b c d Our conversation partner: the singer Helge von Bömches . Interview with Helge von Bömches in: Neue Kronstädter Zeitung of March 20, 2005. Retrieved on December 27, 2014.
  5. ↑ Helge von Bömches . Appearances and roles at the Salzburg Festival. Schedule archive of the Salzburg Festival. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  6. ↑ Helge von Bömches' appearances at the Vienna State Opera
  7. ↑ Gerhart Asche: A veritable discovery. Tscherepnin's “marriage broker” premiered in Osnabrück . Performance review. In: Opera world . Issue May 5, 1982. Page 51/52.
  8. ↑ Gerhart Asche: Kitsch-prone drama. Eugen d'Albert's “Tiefland” in Braunschweig and Osnabrück . Performance reviews. In: Opera world . Issued January 1, 1985. page 40.
  9. ↑ Michael Wehling: furious OPERNJUX . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue April 4, 1989. Page 305/206.
personal data
SURNAME Bömches, Helge von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Boor, Helge Bömches from (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Romanian-German opera singer with a bass voice
DATE OF BIRTH September 18, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Brașov , Kingdom of Romania
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 2014
Place of death Osnabrück , Lower Saxony , Germany