Zoltán Kelemen (singer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zoltán Kelemen (born March 12, 1926 in Budapest , † May 9, 1979 in Zurich ) was a Hungarian bass-baritone .

He began his vocal studies in Budapest, but soon left Hungary and continued his training in Rome . From 1959 he lived in Germany, first in Augsburg (until 1962) then in Cologne . In 1962 he made his debut as Alberich at the Bayreuth Festival . This role became his trademark internationally, and he is one of their best exponents alongside Gustav Neidlinger . In 1965 he was part of the premiere ensemble of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera The Soldiers , in which he sang the essence.

Around 1970 Zoltán Kelemen was Herbert von Karajan's favorite bass baritone . a. Fidelio (as Don Pizarro), the Ring (as Alberich), Boris Godunow (as Rangoni), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (as Fritz Kothner) and The Merry Widow (as Mirko Zeta). Kelemen also sang Klingsor in Georg Soltis Parsifal and several times Alberich under the Bayreuth baton of Pierre Boulez .

Kelemen had an enormous vocal range, which enabled him to meet a variety of demands , from the lowest bass range (Osmin in the Abduction from the Seraglio and Ochs in the Rosenkavalier ) to the high exposure (Alberich in the Götterdämmerung ). He embodied demonic characters (Commander in Don Giovanni ) as well as comedic characters (Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro ). His Hungarian accent was accepted as lovable. Occasionally today he is accused of having sung his roles “too beautifully”. In fact, as Alberich or Don Pizarro, he exudes a lyrical warmth and elegance that would not quite fit the goals of today's directorial theater.

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kelemen, Zoltan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hungarian singer (bass baritone)
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Budapest
DATE OF DEATH May 9, 1979
Place of death Zurich