Walter Berry (bass-baritone) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Walter Berry
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Grave in the Heiligenstädter Friedhof cemetery
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| Born | 8 April 1929 Vienna, Austria
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| Died | 27 October 2000 (aged 71) Vienna, Austria
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| Alma mater | University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna |
| Occupation | Opera singer |
| Years active | 1949–1998 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Wolfgang |
Walter Berry (born April 8, 1929 – died October 27, 2000) was a famous Austrian opera singer. He had a special voice type called a bass-baritone. This means his voice was deep, like a bass, but also had some higher notes, like a baritone. Many people thought he was one of the best bass-baritone singers of his time.
Contents
Walter Berry's Amazing Career
Walter Berry was born in Vienna, Austria. He loved music and studied singing at the Vienna Music Academy.
Starting His Journey
In 1947, he performed on stage for the very first time. This was with the famous Vienna State Opera. By 1950, he became a full-time member of this opera company. He stayed with them for his whole career. However, he also traveled a lot to perform in other parts of Europe and the United Kingdom.
Performing at Salzburg
In 1952, Walter Berry first sang at the Salzburg Festival. This is a very important music festival. He performed there often. At Salzburg, he worked with a famous conductor named Herbert von Karajan. They performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. Other great singers like Leontyne Price and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf were also in this show.
Walter Berry sang in over one hundred different opera roles. He was also praised for singing Franz Schubert's lieder. Lieder are German songs, often with piano. He also sang songs by Gustav Mahler. He was also known for singing in religious music. This included pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.
Singing in New York City
During the 1960s and 1970s, Walter Berry often performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He played many different characters there. Some of his famous roles included Barak in Die Frau ohne Schatten and Wotan in Die Walküre. He also played Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier and Leporello in Don Giovanni. His last performance as Barak was in 1984.
Other Famous Roles
Walter Berry had other special roles he was known for. He was Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute. He also played Figaro in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. Another important role was Bluebeard in Béla Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle.
He loved singing lieder (German songs). He often performed these with German pianist Sebastian Peschko. Walter Berry also sang in choral works, which are pieces for a choir. He enjoyed singing in fun operettas too, especially Die Fledermaus. Operettas are like light operas with speaking parts.
His Marriage
In 1957, Walter Berry married Christa Ludwig. She was also a very famous singer. They often sang together on stage and made recordings. They divorced in 1970.
His Passing
Walter Berry passed away in 2000 in Vienna. He was 71 years old and had a heart attack. He was buried in the Heiligenstädter Friedhof cemetery in Vienna.
His Recordings
Walter Berry made many recordings. This means his performances were saved so people could listen to them later. He was part of many highly praised opera recordings.
Key Recordings
He recorded The Magic Flute as Papageno. He also recorded Fidelio as Don Pizarro. Both of these were with conductor Otto Klemperer for EMI Records. He also recorded Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion. He did this twice, once with Otto Klemperer and later with Herbert von Karajan.
Other recordings include Bluebeard's Castle by Béla Bartók. He also recorded Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Joseph Haydn's The Creation. He recorded several Mozart operas like Cosi Fan Tutte, Marriage of Figaro, and Bastien und Bastienne.
Critics from Billboard magazine said his recording of Bluebeard's Castle with his wife Christa Ludwig was very powerful. They also praised his recording with Ludwig of scenes from Richard Strauss's operas. These included Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier. These recordings showed his amazing talent. Walter Berry's recordings are still considered some of the best. They show why he was such an important bass-baritone singer.
DVD Performances
Walter Berry also appeared on DVD. He played Don Pizarro in Fidelio with Christa Ludwig. He was also Papageno in The Magic Flute. He played Leporello in a German performance of Don Giovanni.
Discography (Selected Recordings)
Here are some of Walter Berry's recordings:
- Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart): Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos with the Vienna Philharmonic (1956)
- Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss II): Conducted by Herbert von Karajan with the Vienna Philharmonic (1960)
- Così fan Tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart): Conducted by Karl Böhm with the Philharmonia Orchestra (1962)
- Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart): Conducted by Otto Klemperer with the Philharmonia Orchestra (1964)
- Bluebeard's Castle (Béla Bartók): Conducted by István Kertész with the London Symphony Orchestra (1966)
- Aida (Giuseppe Verdi) in German: Conducted by Clemens Krauss with the Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks München (1953)
See also
In Spanish: Walter Berry para niños
