Peter Hoffmann ( German: Peter Hofmann ( August 22, 1944 - November 30, 2010 ) [1] German tenor , who made a successful career in opera , rock music , and musicals .
| Peter Hoffmann | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | August 22, 1944 |
| Place of Birth | Marienbad |
| Date of death | January 30, 2010 (aged 65) |
| Place of death | Zelb |
| A country | Germany |
| Professions | |
| Singing voice | tenor |
| Genres | opera |
Content
Biography
Hoffmann was born in Marienbad and raised in Darmstadt . Even before he began practicing opera singing, he sang in a rock band. During the seven-year service in the troops of West Germany, he began to take private singing lessons. After demobilization, he entered the conservatory in Karlsruhe , where he took a course in opera singing. [2]
Opera career
Hoffmann's debut took place in Lubeck in 1972, where he sang the part of Tamino in Wolfgang Amedey Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute . Hoffmann first performed the part of Sigmund at the Wuppertal Opera two years later. It was thanks to the performance of this party in the anniversary production in Bayreuth of the Ring of the Nibelung in 1976 that Hoffmann received international recognition. [2] , after which he sang in the opera houses of Stuttgart , Paris , Vienna, London , Chicago and San Francisco . Also in Bayreuth, he performed the parts of Parsifal (in 1976 and 1978), Lohengrin (in 1979 and 1982), Tristan (1986), and Walter (1988).
He first attracted attention as a geldentenor in 1976 at the Bayreuth Festival, where critics praised his performance as Sigmund in Richard Wagner’s opera Valkyrie . Over the next ten years, he actively participated in opera productions, was one of the leading Wagnerian tenors, performing the parts of Lohengrin , Parsifal, Sigfried, and Tristan in the main opera halls of the world and at international festivals. [2]
The busy schedule, coupled with the "imperfect vocal technique", led to problems with the voice, which became especially evident by the end of the 1980s. [2] Because of these difficulties, the singer was forced to completely refuse to perform opera parts and instead devoted himself entirely to performing popular music. [3] By this time, Hoffmann already had experience of pop singing, and several records of classical rock in his performance in the mid-1980s were successful. He continued to sing on stage until going to bed due to poor health in 1999. [4] In 1994, the singer was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. [3]
Popular Music
Hoffmann recorded several popular music albums that were popular in Europe. In 1987, the album Festive Songs was released , in which Hoffmann sang with his wife, opera singer Deborah Sasson.
In 1990 and 1991, Hoffmann played a major role in the Hamburg production of the musical The Phantom of the Opera, and also hosted a television show in Germany.
Personal life
Hoffman was married and divorced twice, the second time, from 1983 to 1990, at the opera singer Deborah Sasson. Divorce proceedings ruined him, and he spent the rest of his life in relative poverty.
For ten years, the singer struggled with Parkinson's disease , and died of pneumonia in November 2010, at the age of 66.
Discography
Classical music
- 1980: Ludwig van Beethoven: Fidelio (Rolle des Florestan) (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti)
- 1981: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Sinfonie-Orchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Bernard Haitink)
- 1981: Richard Wagner: Parsifal (Berliner Philharmoniker, Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Herbert von Karajan)
- 1981: Richard Wagner: Die Walküre (Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele, Pierre Boulez)
- 1981: Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Leonard Bernstein)
- 1982: Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice (Philharmonisches Orchester Köln, Heinz Panzer)
- 1983: Richard Wagner: Höhepunkte aus Rienzi , Tannhäuser ua (RSO Stuttgart, Iván Fischer)
- 1985: Richard Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Herbert von Karajan)
- 1985: Richard Wagner: Parsifal (Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele James Levine)
- 1985: Richard Wagner: Die Walküre , 1. Akt (New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta, Eva Marton, Martti Talvela)
- 1986: Richard Wagner: Lohengrin (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus, James Levine)
Popular Music
- 1982: Rock Classics
- 1984: Peter Hofmann 2 Ivory Man
- 1985: Unsre Zeit
- 1986: Live '86
- 1987: Rock Classics 2
- 1988: Monuments
- 1990: Wild and lonely heart
- 1992: Love Me Tender
- 1994: Country Roads
- 1996: Rock Classics: Love Songs
- 1998: Rock Classics: Your Songs
Rock Opera
- 1990: Andrew Lloyd Webber: Das Phantom der Oper - Höhepunkte der Hamburger Aufführung (Ensemble der Neuen Flora Hamburg mit Anna Maria Kaufmann)
Other
- 1989: Peter Hofmann (and the London Symphony Orchestra) Stille Nacht (Andrew Pryce Jackman)
Notes
- ↑ Associated Press . German tenor Peter Hofmann dies at 66 , Los Angeles Times (December 1, 2010).
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 F. Paul Driscoll . Obituaries: Heldentenor / pop star Peter Hofmann (English) // Opera News : magazine. - 2011 .-- February ( vol. 75 ).
- ↑ 1 2 Music Obituaries: Peter Hofmann , The Daily Telegraph (December 1, 2010).
- ↑ Elizabeth Forbes . Peter Hofmann: Tenor who specialized in Wagner and enjoyed a parallel career as a rock singer , The Independent (December 7, 2010).
Literature
http://peterhofmannstartenor.wordpress.com
- The Oxford Dictionary of Opera , by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5