Rudolf Gerlach-Rusnak
Rudolf Gerlach-Rusnak ( Ukrainian Рудольф Герлах-Руснак ; actually Orest Rusnak / Орест Руснак ; * July 24, 1895 in Duboutz near Chernivtsi , Bukovina ; † January 23, 1960 in Munich ) was a Ukrainian - German opera singer lyric tenor .
Life
Gerlach was born as Orest Rusnak in what is now Ukraine . During the First World War he served as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army . He began his singing studies in 1918 with Eugen Fuchs in Prague . His debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème took place in Olomouc in 1923 . He then sang at the theater in Königsberg from 1924 to 1926 and in Stettin from 1926 to 1927 . He then studied again with Jacques Stückgold in Paris and with Lari in Milan. From 1928 to 1930 Gerlach sang in Chemnitz and for the next two years in Graz . In 1931 he became a member of the ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich , where he sang under the name Rudolf Gerlach-Rusnak , but later also as Rudolf Gerlach. He stayed in Munich until 1937 and has since made numerous guest appearances in Vienna and elsewhere. In the world premiere of Franz Schmidt's oratorio The Book with Seven Seals in the Wiener Musikverein under Oswald Kabasta (1938) Rudolf Gerlach interpreted the main part, the Evangelist Johannes. From 1941 to 1942 he sang in Bremen , then in Innsbruck . After suffering heart problems, he had to retire from the active career, but he soon sang again and made guest appearances in Canada and the USA in 1957 .
Gerlach-Rusnak had a lyric-heroic tenor voice with a distinctive timbre and an extraordinary height. Among his most successful roles are Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor , the Duke in Rigoletto , Chapelou in the Postillon of Lonjumeau , Narraboth in Salome and Matteo in Arabella .
Gerlach sang the roles - as was customary at that time - in German translation. His voice has been handed down on various sound carriers.
literature
- KJ Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . Unchanged edition. KG Saur, Bern, 1993, first volume A – L, Sp. 1076/1077, ISBN 3-907820-70-3
Web links
- Rudolf Gerlach-Rusnak at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
- Rudolf Gerlach-Rusnak at Operavivra
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gerlach-Rusnak, Rudolf |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rusnak, Orest (real name); Герлах-Руснак, Рудольф (Ukrainian); Руснак, Орест (Ukrainian) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Ukrainian-German opera and concert singer with a lyrical tenor voice |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1895 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Duboutz near Chernivtsi , Bukowina |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 23, 1960 |
| Place of death | Munich |