Franz Grundheber
Franz Grundheber | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Grundheber c. 1980 | |
| Born | 27 September 1937 Trier, Germany |
| Died | 27 September 2025 (aged 88) Hamburg, Germany |
| Occupation | Operatic baritone |
| Organizations | |
| Title | Kammersänger |
Franz Grundheber (27 September 1937 – 27 September 2025) was a German operatic baritone. He was based at the Hamburg State Opera where he appeared in over 150 roles from 1966, celebrating his 2000th performance there in 2012, as Amonasro in Verdi's Aida. His voice, described as brilliant with a seamless legato and compelling high notes, was flexible enough to sing Italian opera as well as Wagner roles such as Amfortas in Parsifal, and 20th century roles such as Moses in Schoenberg's Moses und Aron and world premieres. He performed at major international opera houses, especially the Vienna State Opera.
Grundheber was a stage presence in acting and singing, often portraying broken characters in pain and despair such as Verdi's Rigoletto and Simon Boccanegra. He is especially remembered for various interpretations of the title role of Alban Berg's Wozzeck, including in a Vienna production conducted by Claudio Abbado in 1986 and a 1994 DVD from both the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and the Staatsoper Berlin, conducted by Daniel Barenboim and staged by Patrice Chéreau.
Life and career
[edit]Grundheber was born in Trier on 27 September 1937.[1] His father was a worker, who was mostly absent due to World War II until the boy was eight years old. His mother sent him for higher education, where his teacher of German introduced him to literature and drama that he watched from age 14. He sang in the choir of a Catholic youth group, and soon performed for money singing, accompanied by a friend who played piano, at functions such as weddings and funerals. At age 18, he heard an opera for the first time, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and was fascinated by the bass voice of Peter Roth-Ehrang. The singer gave him lessons and recommended serious voice studies.[2]
After school, in 1959, Grundheber enrolled in the Air Force of the Bundeswehr, where he spent three years.[1] He took lessons in voice and drama in Hamburg,[2] and achieved a two-year scholarship to study with Margaret Harshaw at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana,[2] In 1966 he spent a summer at the Music Academy of the West in Montecito, California.[1][3]
In 1966 Grundheber joined the Hamburg State Opera,[1] engaged by Rolf Liebermann.[4] He became a prolific performer, singing smaller roles in different types of operas for a long time.[4] On 21 December 1968, he performed in the world premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's Help, Help, the Globolinks!.[1][5] He created a role in Lars Johan Werle's Die Reise on 2 March 1969 and another in Josef Tal's Ashmedai on 1 November 1971.[1] Even when later moving to Wagnerian roles, he took care to stay flexible.[4] With some 150 roles to his name, he was named Kammersänger in 1986. From 1988 he appeared at the house as a regular guest.[1]
Grundheber made his debut at the Vienna State Opera on 11 December 1976 in the title role of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro,[6] and in 1983 performed as Mandryka in Arabella by Richard Strauss.[1] In 1985, Grundheber appeared as Olivier in Capriccio at the Salzburg Festival. In 1986, he performed in Brussels for the first time the title role of Berg's Wozzeck, staged by Gerard Mortier.[7] He portrayed Wozzeck again at the Vienna State Opera in 1986,[6] alongside Hildegard Behrens as Marie, conducted by Claudio Abbado and directed by Claus Helmut Drese.[4] His Wozzeck, alongside Waltraud Meier as Marie, in a production shown from 1993 to 1999 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and the Staatsoper Berlin, conducted by Daniel Barenboim and directed by Patrice Chéreau, was recorded as DVD in 1994.[4] In 1999 he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Rigoletto, followed by Wozzeck.[1]
Grundheber excelled in both German and Italian repertoire.[4] His roles in German opera included Wagner's Holländer and Amfortas in Parsifal, the Strauss roles Jochanaan in Salome, Orest in Elektra, and Barak in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Hindemith's Cardillac, Borromeo in Pfitzner's Palestrina, and Dr. Schön in Alban Berg's Lulu. He was able to perform as Jupiter in Die Liebe der Danae without transposition of the high notes.[4] His Verdi characters included Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto, Macbeth, Amonasro in Aida and Jago in Otello.[4][6] As Rigoletto and Boccanegra, he used vocal brilliance, seamless legato phrases and compelling high notes to portray the emotional depths and despair of the characters.[4]
The last role that he learned was in 2006 the leading role of Moses in Schoenberg's Moses und Aron at the Vienna State Opera, with Thomas Moser and conducted by Daniele Gatti.[4][8] He performed the role also at the Elbphilharmonie.[4] He sang his 2000th performance on 1 February 2012, as Amonasro at the Hamburg State Opera.[2] The last role he performed at the Vienna State Opera, after more than 250 performances there, was Schigolch in Berg's Lulu in 2017.[6]
Grundheber died in Hamburg on 27 September 2025, his 88th birthday.[9][4]
Recordings
[edit]Grundheber appeared in 1979 as Albert in a recording of Massenet's Werther,[1] alongside Elena Obraztsova, Arleen Augér and Plácido Domingo, with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly. In 1986, he recorded Mandryka in Arabella,[1] with Kiri te Kanawa in the title role, chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Jeffrey Tate. He recorded in 1988 Paul Hindemith's Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen, singing The Man with Gabriele Schnaut as The Woman, conducted by Gerd Albrecht.[10] In 1987 he appeared in the title role of Claudio Abbado's recording of Wozzeck,[1] recorded and filmed live at the Vienna State Opera. In 1989, he performed for DVD the title role of Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer,[1] with Behrens as Senta, a production of the Savonlinna Opera Festival conducted by Leif Segerstam. In 1996, he recorded Barak in Die Frau ohne Schatten,[1] with Deborah Voigt, Sabine Haas and Hanna Schwarz, and the Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli. In 2003, he appeared on the recording of concerts of Die Liebe der Danae by the chorus and orchestra of the Theater Kiel, conducted by Ulrich Windfuhr. In 2006, he performed Moses on a DVD of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, conducted by Daniele Gatti.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Kutsch, K.-J.; Riemens, Leo (2012). "Grundheber, Franz". Großes Sängerlexikon (in German) (4th ed.). De Gruyter. p. 1866. ISBN 978-3-59-844088-5.
- ^ a b c d Schulz, Tom R. (1 February 2025). "Franz Grundheber: Ein Leben für die Stimme". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ "Alumni Roster". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mösch, Stephan (29 September 2025). "Ein Weltstar aus Trier". FAZ (in German). Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ^ Sutcliffe, James H. (29 December 1968). "Help! The Globolinks Are Coming!" (PDF). The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d "On the death of Franz Grundheber". Vienna State Opera. 29 September 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ "Franz Grundheber (80.) / Weltberühmter Bariton - große Stimme, viel Gefühl / Musikalischer Botschafter der Stadt Trier" (in German). SWR. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ a b Fastner, Carsten (14 June 2006). "Mein Gott, wie bigott". Falter (in German). Retrieved 1 October 2025.
- ^ Mischke, Von Joachim (28 September 2025). "Trauer um Jahrhundertsänger: Bariton Franz Grundheber ist tot". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Mörder Hoffnung der Frauen. Paul Hindemith". Oxford Journals. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
Further reading
[edit]- Armin Lücke, ed. (2008): Franz Grundheber und Wozzeck. Trier, Germany: Verlag Matergloriosa. ISBN 978-3-940760-05-0.
External links
[edit]
- Franz Grundheber at IMDb
- Franz Grundheber discography at Discogs
- Franz Grundheber Hamburgische Staatsoper (in German)
- "Franz Grundheber (Baritone)". Bach Cantatas.
- Franz Grundheber management AMZ, Zurich
- Recordings with Franz Grundheber in the Online Archive of the Österreichische Mediathek (registration required) Retrieved 7. November 2022
