Wolfgang Windgassen facts for kids

Wolfgang Windgassen (born June 26, 1914 – died September 8, 1974) was a famous German opera singer. He was known as a heldentenor, which means he had a powerful voice perfect for heroic roles. He became very famous for singing in operas by Richard Wagner.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Wolfgang Windgassen was born in Annemasse, France. Music was a big part of his family! His father, Fritz Windgassen, was also a well-known heldentenor and taught Wolfgang how to sing. His mother, Vali von der Osten, was a soprano singer. Both his parents were important singers at the Staatsoper Stuttgart opera house for many years.

Wolfgang started his singing career in Pforzheim. His first big role was Pinkerton in the opera Madama Butterfly. After serving in the army, he joined the Stuttgart opera company. He even took over from his father as the main tenor singer there. Stuttgart remained his main home throughout his career. For the last two years of his life, he was the artistic director of the opera house, helping to lead it.

Singing Around the World

Wolfgang Windgassen sang in many important opera houses across the globe. He was invited to perform at the famous Bayreuth Festival in Germany when it reopened in 1951. This festival is special because it only performs operas by Richard Wagner. Wolfgang sang there every year until 1970!

He performed all the major heroic tenor roles in Wagner's operas. Some of his famous roles included Erik, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan, and Parsifal. He also sang both Siegfried roles in Wagner's huge Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle).

Wolfgang Windgassen was married to another singer, soprano Lore Wissmann. He passed away in Stuttgart at the age of 60.

Famous Recordings

You can still hear Wolfgang Windgassen's amazing voice today on many recordings. He made both studio recordings and live recordings from his performances.

One of his most famous recordings is the Decca Ring cycle. This was led by conductor Georg Solti. Wolfgang stepped in at the last minute to sing the role of Siegfried, and his performance was excellent.

Another highly praised recording is his live performance of Tristan und Isolde from Bayreuth. In this recording, he sang with the famous soprano Birgit Nilsson. This performance, conducted by Karl Böhm, is still loved by many music critics. He also sang in other live Ring cycles from Bayreuth with conductors like Hans Knappertsbusch and Clemens Krauss.

On Video

You can also find videos of Wolfgang Windgassen performing. He can be seen as Tristan in a production by Wieland Wagner, with Birgit Nilsson and Hans Hotter. He also appeared as Otello (singing in German) and as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. You might also spot him in concert clips and rehearsals.

A Quick Story

During a performance of Siegfried in London in 1955, something unexpected happened! Wolfgang was supposed to forge a sword on stage. He realized that only broken pieces of the sword were there, and the real, complete sword was missing. He needed to find the real sword quickly to cut the anvil as the story required.

Wolfgang stayed calm while singing. He slowly moved further back into the wings of the stage. There, he managed to get someone backstage to hand him the complete sword. He carefully hid it under his cloak, and the audience didn't even notice! He then came back to the center of the stage and finished the scene perfectly.

See also

In Spanish: Wolfgang Windgassen para niños