Hermann Prey

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Hermann Oskar Karl Bruno Prey (born July 11, 1929 in Berlin ; † July 22, 1998 in Krailling ) was a German opera singer ( baritone ).

Live and act

Memorial plaque on the house at Manetstrasse 54 in Berlin-Alt-Hohenschönhausen

Hermann Prey was the son of Hermann and Anna Prey. He was born in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen and named after his father and grandfather. As a ten-year-old, Prey sang in the Mozart choir in his hometown, back then as a boy soprano . During this time he developed the desire to become a singer. Since his parents could not enable him to study, Prey financed it by appearing with a dance band in night clubs and bars and occasional recordings for the RIAS .

After studying at the University of Music in Berlin (as a student of Jaro Prohaska , Günther Baum and Harry Gottschalk ) Prey celebrated his first success in 1952 at the Meistersinger von Nürnberg competition . An early high point in his career was his interpretation of Wolfram in Wagner's Tannhauser at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1960 . Five years later Prey sang this part at the Bayreuth Festival .

In the 1970s, Prey became known to the general public primarily through his entertainment program Schaut her, ich bin’s , in which he presented many celebrities from the opera scene (including the young Plácido Domingo , who made his debut on German television in the show). He had a close friendship with the tenor Fritz Wunderlich , who often appeared on stage with him.

Hermann Prey was particularly fond of the composer Franz Schubert . He had the idea for a Schubertiade in Vorarlberg , which Gerd Nachbauer then expanded into a music festival that has been successful for 40 years. The Schubertiade in the Wiener Musikverein also goes back to Prey, where he realized his lifelong dream of performing all of Schubert's works in chronological order.

In 1981 he published his autobiography Premiere Fever . In 1982 he began to give master classes at the Hamburg University of Music . During his last appearance at the Herbstlichen Musiktage in Bad Urach , which he co-founded , Prey sang for the first time a version of Schubert's Winterreise arranged for orchestra by Yukikazu Suzuki . He was accompanied by the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa under the direction of Hiroyuki Iwaki.

Hermann Prey died on July 22, 1998 in Krailling, a few days after his 69th birthday, of the consequences of a heart attack, after he had given a recital in the Prinzregententheater in Munich on July 12, 1998 . His grave is in the cemetery in Krailling (near Munich).

family

Since February 13, 1954, Hermann Prey was with Barbara, geb. Pniok, married. The couple had two daughters, Annette and Franziska, and their son Florian Prey , who also became a baritone and now directs the festival in Bad Urach.

Awards and honors

Hermann-Prey-Platz in Bad Urach (2014)

Hermann Prey received numerous awards. He received honorary citizenship of the Krailling community, was an honorary member of the Vienna Musikverein and chamber singer of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. In 1977 he was awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit and in 1986 the Maximilian Order for Science and Art . In 1998 he received the Great Silver Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria .

In Hohenems the Hermann-Prey-Straße is named after him, in Bad Urach the Hermann-Prey-Platz .

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Hermann Prey  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Address of the birthplace on www.gedenkenafeln-in-berlin.de
  2. ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB).
personal data
SURNAME Prey, Hermann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Prey, Hermann Oskar Karl Bruno (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German opera singer (baritone)
DATE OF BIRTH July 11, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH July 22, 1998
Place of death Krailling , Bavaria