Rudolf A. Hartmann
Rudolf A. Hartmann , actually Rudolf Gniffke (born January 19, 1937 in Bad Windsheim , † August 16, 2006 in Zurich ) was a German opera singer (bass / baritone).
Life
Rudolf A. Hartmann was his stage name ; his real name was Rudolf Gniffke .
He began his training as a child with violin and piano lessons. After graduating from high school, he studied law and then singing at the State Music Academy in Munich , where he graduated with honors. His first engagement took him to Augsburg as a bass player . After two years he switched to the baritone field and at the same time to the opera in Nuremberg .
Finally, in 1972 he was signed to the Zurich Opera House . He was a member of the ensemble until his retirement in 2002. Hartmann was "a typical ensemble artist" (NZZ) who embodied all the important roles in his field in Zurich, from Fluth to Faninal and Schaunard to Sharpless. One of the highlights of his work was the title role in the Swiss premiere of the opera Jakob Lenz by Wolfgang Rihm .
Hartmann became internationally known for his design of the Beckmesser in Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg . In this role he also performed with great success at the Vienna State Opera , the Semper Opera in Dresden and the Hamburg State Opera. He participated in the recording of the Mastersingers under Georg Solti and Monteverdi's Eighth Madrigal Book under Nikolaus Harnoncourt .
After his retirement he devoted himself again and again to the design of popular operetta roles with great success . In 2004 he could be seen in Offenbach's La Grand Duchesse de Gérolstein in Zurich and also as Baron Zeta in Franz Lehár's operetta The Merry Widow . He had his last major appearance in 2005 as Zuniga in Bizet's Carmen under Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Styrian Festival (Styriarte). From 1978 to 2002 Hartmann was also a lecturer at the Zurich Conservatory.
literature
- Karl-Josef Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . 7 volumes. 4th edition, Verlag Saur, Munich, 2004; ISBN 3-598-11598-9
- Paul Suter: Rudolf A. Hartmann . In: Andreas Kotte (Ed.): Theater Lexikon der Schweiz . Volume 2, Chronos, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-0340-0715-9 , p. 800.
Web links
- Rudolf A. Hartmann at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hartmann, Rudolf A. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gniffke, Rudolf (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German opera singer (bass / baritone) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 19, 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bad Windsheim |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 16, 2006 |
| Place of death | Zurich |