Walter Berry (bass-baritone)

Walter Berry ( born April 8, 1929 in Vienna, † October 27, 2000 ) was an Austrian singer ( bass-baritone ).

Biography and artistic work

He received early piano lessons as a child and was a soloist in church choirs. From 1946 he studied with Hermann Gallos at the Music Academy of his native town and entered in 1949 in the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera, where he first tested in small roles. He also had his first radio recordings.

In 1952 he sang for the first time the role of Papageno in Mozart's " Magic Flute", which in Vienna at that time was actually still firmly in the hands of Erich Kunz, whose successor in Vienna, he should be in the coming years. From 1953 he appeared regularly at the Salzburg Festival, first in smaller roles.

He became internationally known when during the reopening of the Vienna State Opera in 1955, he took over the title role in Alban Berg's Wozzeck.

From 1957, Berry began an international guest performances at all major opera houses in Europe. From 1960, he joined - in addition to his never -ending connection to the Vienna State Opera ( where he embodied no fewer than 77 games) - regularly at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the National Theatre Munich, from 1966 at the New York Met as Song Performer Berry joined together with pianist Sebastian Peschko and especially with Erik Werba forth.

Especially in the 60 years he was the world's leading singers especially the comic baritone roles in the operas of Mozart, particularly Papageno, Figaro in " Le nozze di Figaro ", Leporello in " Don Giovanni ". In addition, Berry sang especially Wagner roles (eg the Kurvenal in Tristan und Isolde and Wotan in the Ring of the Nibelung ) and Richard Strauss ( Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier, Barak in Die Frau ohne Schatten, La Roche in Capriccio ), the Don Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio and again modern roles as just Wozzeck or the baritone part in Bela Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle ( in Hungarian). But on a dream role failed the great singers, namely on Hans Sachs ( The Mastersingers of Nuremberg), he was supposed to sing at the Bayreuth Festival. However, after the final rehearsals he had to leave the fray.

Overall, he sang during his long career over 120 games. Besides operas, he also appeared in oratorio and gave recitals, especially with works by Franz Schubert and Gustav Mahler.

Berry was also feared in addition to its reliability and ability to express above all for his humor famous, in circles colleagues - at Berry you never knew what trick he was planning.

In addition to his solo career, he worked as a teacher, and since 1990 he has held a professorship at the University of Music in Vienna. Among his students Angelika Kirschschlager, Adrian Eröd, Hans Peter Kammerer, Markus Werba Petra Maria Schnitzer and

Since 1957 he was married to the internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig. Son Wolfgang was born in 1959, the marriage was divorced in 1970. Berry was then still married twice, most recently with his pupil, the soprano Elisabeth Flechl. Berry was in 1963 appointed chamber singer and has received numerous awards.

1998 Berry appeared in an episode of the crime series Tatort.

The internationally renowned opera singer died in his Vienna apartment where he lived with his third wife, 71 -year-old a heart attack.

He was on the Heiligenstädter Cemetery (Section A, Group 1, number 263 ) buried in Vienna in an honorary grave dedicated. In 2007 in Vienna Dobling ( 19th district ) of the Walter Berry Lane was named after him.

Discography (selection)

  • Ariadne auf Naxos ( Decca 1958)
  • Wozzeck (CBS 79152/1963 ) - title role, conducted by Pierre Boulez
  • St. Matthew Passion ( PHILIPS 1976)
  • Don Giovanni ( German Grammophon 1977) - Leporello, Conductor: Karl Böhm
  • The Magic Flute ( EMI Records 1980) - Papageno, Conductor: Otto Klemperer
  • Violanta ( SONY BMG 1989)
  • Arabella (EMI CLASSICS 2000)
  • The Gypsy Baron ( EMI CLASSICS 2001)
  • The Bird Seller (EMI CLASSICS 2008)
  • The Marriage of Figaro ( BERLIN CLASSICS 2008)
811667
de