Hermann Prey facts for kids
Hermann Prey (born July 11, 1929, in Berlin; died July 22, 1998, in Krailling) was a famous German singer. He was a baritone, which is a male singing voice that is deeper than a tenor but higher than a bass. Prey was great at singing many types of music, including classical songs called Lieder, opera, and concert pieces. He first sang in America in 1952 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He also gave his first solo concert in New York City in 1956. Hermann Prey was especially known for singing the works of Franz Schubert, like his song cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Die Winterreise. He also sang music by Robert Schumann, Richard Strauss, and Gustav Mahler.
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Early Life and Studies
Hermann Prey grew up in Berlin, Germany. He was almost old enough to join the army when World War II ended. He studied singing at the Hochschule für Musik (a music school) in Berlin. In 1952, he won a singing competition in Frankfurt am Main.
Singing Career
First Performances
Hermann Prey began his career by giving song recitals. He made his first appearance in an opera the very next year. This was with the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in a town called Bad Salzschlirf. He played the role of Moruccio in an opera called Tiefland. After that, he joined the Hamburg State Opera and sang there until 1960. During his last years in Hamburg, he also performed as a guest singer in other places, like the Salzburg Festival.
Famous Opera Roles
Prey often sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1960 to 1970, and even into the early 1990s. In 1965, he made his first appearance at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Germany. He played the role of Wolfram in the opera Tannhäuser. He returned to Bayreuth many times over the years.
Early in his career, he sang many operas by Giuseppe Verdi. Later, he focused more on operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss. Prey was very famous for playing Figaro in operas by both Mozart and Rossini. But he also played other Mozart roles often, like Papageno and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. He also played the Count in The Marriage of Figaro and sometimes Don Giovanni. Many people think he was the best Eisenstein in the opera Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II.
Comic Operas and TV
Hermann Prey was excellent at singing funny Italian operas. He was very lively and brought a lot of humor to his roles. His amazing singing skills and great acting made him a top choice for many productions of Mozart's and Rossini's operas in the 1970s.
In 1972, he played Figaro in a TV movie of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville). He was joined by Teresa Berganza and Luigi Alva. He also appeared in a live TV version of Il Barbiere di Siviglia that was sung in German. In 1976, he played Figaro again in a movie of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro).
Prey also sang in operettas, which are lighter, shorter operas. He became very popular on German television. He was a media star alongside another famous singer, Fritz Wunderlich. They often played roles together, like Papageno and Tamino in The Magic Flute.
Schubertiade and Teaching
In 1976, Hermann Prey started the first Schubertiade Vorarlberg in Hohenems, Austria. A Schubertiade is a special event that celebrates the life and music of the Austrian composer Franz Schubert. The first evening of the Schubertiade Vorarlberg began with a concert by Hermann Prey, with Leonard Hokanson playing the piano.
Starting in 1982, Prey also taught music at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. He also wrote a book about his life called First Night Fever: The Memoirs of Hermann Prey.
His Voice
Hermann Prey had a very clear and smooth singing voice. It sounded a bit deeper than the voice of another famous baritone, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. But Prey's voice was just as beautiful and could reach high notes easily without sounding strained.
Recordings
He made many recordings of operas and songs. He even recorded a large collection for Phillips that showed the history of the Lied (German art song) from old times to the 20th century.
Pianists He Worked With
Hermann Prey worked with many talented pianists for his concerts and recordings. Some of these included Karl Engel, Gerald Moore, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leonard Hokanson, Helmut Deutsch, Friedrich Gulda, Jörg Demus, Walter Klien, and Michael Endres.
Later Life and Family
Hermann Prey directed an opera production of The Marriage of Figaro in Salzburg in 1988. He passed away from a heart attack on July 22, 1998, in Krailling, Bavaria. He was 69 years old. His son, Florian Prey, is also a baritone singer.
Videography
- The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4582
See also
In Spanish: Hermann Prey para niños
