Tomislav Neralic

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Tomislav Neralić (2008)

Tomislav Neralić (born December 9, 1917 in Karlovac , Austria-Hungary , † November 16, 2016 in Zagreb , Croatia ) was a Yugoslavian opera singer ( bass baritone ).

Life

Training and beginnings

Neralić came from a musical family. His father was an opera singer himself, who was engaged as a baritone at the Croatian National Theater in Maribor . Neralić's father sang the great parts in the baritone class, especially from the Italian repertoire. He also appeared at the Croatian National Opera in Zagreb . His mother was a trained pianist , but was only able to play the piano as a hobby because of the four children she had to look after.

Tomislav Neralić first attended elementary school in his hometown of Karlovac, then later the grammar school in Maribor. At the age of 13, before his voice broke , he sang on the radio. During his high school years he learned violin and piano and played in a chamber music ensemble . In 1936, at the request of his parents, he began studying music and singing. In December 1937 he made his first professional appearance as a soloist in Rudolf Matz's “Christmas story” on the Yugoslav radio on Radio Zagreb. He then first appeared as a concert singer. In 1941 he completed his training as a singer and music teacher at the Zagreb Conservatory.

His debut as an opera singer took place while still training in June 1939 as a monk (Charles V), i.e. in the bass field, in the Verdi opera Don Carlos . From 1939 to 1943 he was a permanent member of the Zagreb Opera.

Engagements in Vienna, Zagreb and Berlin

In 1943, after auditioning with Karl Böhm , at the beginning of the 1943/44 season he was engaged directly by Böhm at the Vienna State Opera , where he appeared in 17 different roles until 1947. There Neralić sang the bass, but also pure baritone parts, and also his first roles in heroic and Wagnerian roles. His debut at the Vienna State Opera was Colline in La Bohème . In Vienna he sang a. a. the roles of Count von Monterone (season 1943/44; with this role he probably had his actual debut in September 1943) and Sparafucile in Rigoletto (1946/1947), the Tommaso in Tiefland (season 1943/44), the Titurel in Parsifal (1943/44 season), Basilio in Der Barbier von Sevilla (1945/1946), Ferrando in Der Troubadour (April / May 1944), Warlaam in Boris Godunow (May – November 1945), Minister Don Fernando in Fidelio ( 1945–1947), the four villains in Hoffmann's stories (1945–1947), the Plumkett in Martha (1945/1946), the Zuniga in Carmen (1946/1947), the Tomski in Pique Dame (1946/1947) and the roles King and Ramphis in Aida (March – December 1947). During his Vienna years he also appeared at the Vienna Volksoper; there he sang his first King Philip II in Don Carlos under Hans Swarowsky at the age of 25 during the war years in April 1943 . In December 1957 he then appeared again at the Vienna State Opera, as Jago in Verdi's Otello , under the musical direction of Herbert von Karajan .

At the end of the 1940s, Neralić's offer of roles at the Vienna State Opera decreased, as earlier, meanwhile “denazified” ensemble members returned to their old parent company. Therefore, he accepted the offer to return to the Zagreb National Opera as a hero baritone. From the 1947/48 season to 1955 he was again a member of the Zagreb National Opera. Here he sang not only the bass, as before, but also Italian baritone parts, the Dutchman, the title role in Boris Godunow , King Heinrich in Lohengrin and the Verdi Requiem due to his good height . In his second engagement in Zagreb from 1948 to 1955, he developed into a strong artistic personality in these roles. In 1950 he appeared there on the side of Marijana Radev as Nika Marinović in the opera Equinox (original title: Ekvinocija ) by Ivan Brkanović . Other Zagreb roles were the title role in Don Giovanni (in Croatian), Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier , Nick Shadow in The Rake's Progress , Scarpia in Tosca , Suleiman in the opera Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski by Ivan Zajc and the title role in Prince Igor . At the Summer Festival in Split he sang Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville . In 1955 he made a guest appearance with the ensemble of the Zagreb National Opera in London, where he appeared as Marko in the opera Ero der Schelm . In 1965 he went on a tour of Japan with the Zagreb Opera, where he sang in Tokyo and Osaka . In later years he also appeared again and again at the Zagreb National Opera, as Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1969), as Holländer in Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer (1975) and as Wotan in Die Walküre under the musical direction of Lovro von Matačić (1974).

In 1955, through the mediation of a Viennese agent, to whom he had been recommended by Karl Böhm, after an audition as successor to Josef Herrmann , he was engaged at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (DOB), of which he was a permanent member of the ensemble until 1995. He made his debut at the DOB in January 1955 as a Dutchman, with Leonie Rysanek (Senta) as a partner. In 1957 he sang Wotan in the Ring cycle at the Deutsche Oper Berlin . From 1958 Neralić received the contractual assurance from the DOB for guest performances of a maximum of two months. He used this mainly to perform in the Wagner class (in Italian, later also in German) in Italy during the summer months. He also appeared in several world premieres at the Deutsche Oper Berlin: in König Hirsch (in September 1956; as a preceptor), in 200,000 thalers by Boris Blacher (in September 1969; as Solomon) and in Oedipus by Wolfgang Rihm (in October 1987 ; as one of the elders of Thebes).

In the 1980/81 season he was "comedically and vocally impressive" as Basilio in the revival of Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville . In the 1981/82 season he took on the role of commandant in a new production of Janáček's opera Aus einer Totenhaus (premiere: October 1981, director: Götz Friedrich ). In the 1981/82 season he also took on the two roles of theater director / banker in a new Lulu production (premiere: February 1982, director: Götz Friedrich). In the 1982/83 season (premiere: October 1982) he sang the Marchese di Calatrava at the DOB in a controversial new production of the Verdi opera La forza del destino (director: Hans Neuenfels , conductor: Jesús López Cobos ). In the 1982/83 season (premiere, December 1982) he also sang the role of Ashby, the agent of the transport company Wells Fargo, in a new production of the Puccini opera La fanciulla del West (director: Frank Corsaro , conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli ) . In the same season he also took on the role of the beggar monk Warlaam in the opera Boris Godunow (revival, April 1983) and gave his role "strong bass accents". In the 1984/85 season he sang the title role in Don Pasquale at the DOB at the age of 67 . In April 1984 he was Baron Douphol in a new musical production of Verdi's opera La Traviata with Julia Varady in the title role. In December 1984 he took over the landlord Luther in a new production of the opera Hoffmann's Tales . In the 1985/86 season he took on the role of Dikoj in a new production of the opera Katja Kabanowa (premiere: March 1986, director: Günter Krämer ); He then sang this role regularly in the following seasons in various performance series (including in March 1993, June 1994 and September 1994). In the 1986/87 season he sang Uncle Bonze in a new production of the opera Madama Butterfly (premiere: June 1987, conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli). In April / May 1987 he took over the role of consul Angelotti in a series of performances, which was replaced in almost all roles, in which he was able to “shine again with his unused vocal material”. In addition, in the 1986/87 season he sang the minister Don Fernando in Fidelio (February / March 1987) and the king in Aida (March 1987) in various repertoire performances . In April 1988 he sang the role of Faninal in a new musical production of the Strauss opera Der Rosenkavalier . In May / June 1988 he took over the role of police chief in a new production of the opera Lady Macbeth von Mzensk (premiere: May 1988, director: Günter Krämer); he sang this role in subsequent performances in January / February 1989. In the 1988/89 season he took over again the role of commandant in the resumption of Janáček's opera Aus einer Totenhaus (October 1988), in which he “made a musical impression “Could. In the 1988/89 season he also took part in a new production of La Bohème (premiere: December 1988, director: Götz Friedrich), in which he offered a “fine character study as the not at all ridiculous Alcindoro”. In March 1989, at the age of almost 72, he took over the role of Angelotti in Tosca again . In the 1989/90 season he also sang Baron Douphal in the revival of La Traviata (February 1990) and again as Landlord Luther in a musical re-production of Hoffmann's Tales (April 1990). At the season opening of the 1992/93 season, in August 1992, shortly before his 75th birthday, he was a "brave, interesting" councilor Alcindoro in La Bohème . In December 1992, on his 75th birthday at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, he sang the role of Uncle Bonze in Madama Butterfly . In January 1993, on the occasion of Neralić's 75th birthday, a “Musical Portrait” was held in the DOB in his honor as part of the “Mondays in the Foyer” series, in which Neralić performed a Croatian song with piano accompaniment.

He was engaged at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for over 40 years and in 1963 received the title of Berliner Kammersänger . By 1988 he had already appeared on the stage of the Deutsche Oper Berlin in over 3,500 performances. His engagement ended at the age of almost 80 with the end of the 1995/96 season.

Guest performances

Neralić made guest appearances at La Scala in Milan (1959; as a Dutchman under the musical direction of Hans Knappertsbusch , in 1963 as Wanderer in Siegfried and as Gunther in Götterdämmerung with Birgit Nilsson as a partner), at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels (1962), at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa (1958 and 1960), at the Rome Opera (1958; as Amfortas in Parsifal ), at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (1963; also as Amfortas), at the Teatro Comunale in Florence (1957 as Dutch and 1963 as Wotan in Die Walküre ) and at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples (1965; as Dutch).

In 1956 he sang the Wanderer at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino . In 1959 he took over the Wotan and the Wanderer in the Ring cycle at the Zurich Festival . He has also made guest appearances at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice , at the Teatro Regio di Torino , at the National Opera in Prague, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona , at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon (1961) and at the Opera of Monte Carlo (1973) .

He performed at the Hamburg State Opera , the Bavarian State Opera and the Chicago and Cairo opera houses . In 1984 he took part in the Salzburg Festival as Paolo Calvi in ​​a concert performance of the opera The Geographed by Franz Schreker . From 1986, however, for reasons of age, he no longer accepted guest performances, but appeared exclusively at his parent company, the DOB. Overall, his career was very long; in 1999 (at the age of 82) he sang Ivan Khovansky in the Musorgsky opera Khovanshchina at the Zagreb Opera House . In December 2000, at the age of almost 84, he was on the stage of the Zagreb Opera for the last time.

meaning

Tomislav Neralić participated for sixty years with around four thousand appearances in more than 150 operatic roles and fifty concert works. He sang his opera roles in a total of 5 different languages. He was considered one of the most important Wagner singers of his time. His most sung role was that of the Dutchman, whom he embodied in a total of 123 performances. Thanks to his bass-baritone voice of great scope and his musicality, a brilliant memory and excellent vocal technique, he was just as convincing in tragic as comic characters. Sound recordings with Neralić appeared on record with the Yugoslav brand Jugoton . There is also a historical performance recording from 1944 in which he sings the Minister in Fidelio under the musical direction of Karl Böhm .

Neralić received numerous awards. In 1970 he was awarded the Milka Trnina Singing Prize. In 1997 he was awarded the Culture Prize of the City of Zagreb. From President Franjo Tuđman he was awarded the order “Danica Hrvatska” (State Order for the contribution made to the culture of Croatia). In 2005 he received the Croatian Porin Music Prize for his life's work.

Neralić was a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He died at the age of 98.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o TOMISLAV NERALIĆ: UMRO JEDAN OD NAŠIH NAJSLAVNIJIH GLAZBENIKA Tijekom fascinantne karijere koja je trajala desetljećima doživljavao je samo uspone i nijedan pad . Obituary Jutarnji.hr. November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Umro je čuveni hrvatski operni pjevač Tomislav Neralić Telegram.hr. November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b 9.12. Tomislav NERALIĆ: 100th birthday . Online marker . December 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ In the performance archive of the Vienna State Opera, however, his role debut as Colline can only be found in May 1945.
  5. ↑ a b List of roles by Tomislav Neralić. In: Chronicle of the Vienna State Opera 1945-2005 , pp. 626/627. Löcker Verlag, Vienna 2006. ISBN 3-85409-449-3 .
  6. ↑ Paul Cleron: ALSO . Performance and concert reviews. In: Orpheus . Edition 11/12. November / December 1980. page 760.
  7. ↑ Geerd Heinsen: LA FORZA DEL DESTINO . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue November 11, 1982. Pages 873–876.
  8. ↑ IW (= Ingrid Wanja): FROM THE REPERTOIRE . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue May 5, 1983. Page 446/447.
  9. ^ E. Breves: BERLIN: LA TRAVIATA . Performance review. In: The opera glasses . Issue 7/8. July / August 1984. page 12.
  10. ↑ K. Klebe: TOSCA . Performance review. In: Opera glasses . Issue 7/8. August / September 1987. Pages 17/18.
  11. ↑ Margot E. Hoffmann: WOMAN FATE IN IMAGES barren . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue June 6, 1988. Page 439.
  12. ↑ IW (= Ingrid Wanja): RECOVERED REGIONAL ACTIVITIES . Concert review. In: Orpheus . Edition December 12, 1988. pp. 946/947
  13. ↑ Ingrid Wanja: SOCIAL . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue February 2, 1989. Page 122/123.
  14. ↑ Ingrid Wanja: SEASON OPENING AT THE GERMAN OPERA . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue October 10, 1992. Page 18.
  15. ↑ Ingrid Wanja: REPERTOIRE AND NEW STUDYING . Event review. In: Orpheus . Issue March 3, 1993. Page 30.
  16. ↑ a b c d SpiKA, Tomislav Neralić, prvak opere i najstariji Karlovčanin u Zagrebu: Više ne pjevam, dost 'je bilo . KAportal spika from January 19, 2016. Accessed on November 18, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Neralić, Tomislav
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Neralić, Tomislaw
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Yugoslav opera singer (bass baritone)
DATE OF BIRTH December 9, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Karlovac , Kingdom of Yugoslavia
DATE OF DEATH November 16, 2016
Place of death Zagreb , Croatia