Ferdinand Frantz (February 8, 1906 in
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
– May 26, 1959 in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
), was a German operatic
bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...
. He was well known in his time for his performances in the operas of
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
.
Fond of music as a boy, he joined a choral society in Kassel and at 16 was chosen to take a small solo part.
[Opera. June 1954, p339] Four years of vocal training ensued. Frantz's first role was in the Kassel Staatstheater in 1927, playing Hermann Ortel in a production of Wagner's ''
Die Meistersinger''. He sang at the
Halle Opera House from 1930 to 1932, then in
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...
from 1932 to 1937, and then in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
with the
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera (in German: ) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Generalmusikdirektor'' ...
from 1937 to 1943.
In 1943, he began singing with the
Munich State Opera, where he would sing until the year of his death.
Frantz was a guest artist at the
Vienna Staatsoper
The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival architecture, Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from ...
,
Semper Oper in
Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
, at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
, and
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
. He debuted at the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
in 1949, portraying Wotan in Wagner's ''
Die Walküre
(; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...
''. This role caused some consternation among operagoers:
Helen Traubel was to appear as Brünnhilde opposite Frantz's Wotan, and when Traubel could not perform, Frantz's wife, soprano
Helena Braun, stepped into the role. This novelty of a married couple portraying a father and daughter was covered on the front page of New York newspapers.
He began as a low bass and moved up to bass-baritone. He was best known as Wotan/Wanderer and Hans Sachs. Recordings are available with him in these roles from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s, including two complete ''Meistersingers'' as Sachs, one of them (from 1956) magisterially sung by Frantz and conducted by
Rudolf Kempe
Rudolf Kempe (14 June 1910 – 12 May 1976) was a German conductor.
Biography
Kempe was born in Dresden, where from the age of fourteen he studied at the Dresden State Opera School. He played oboe in the opera orchestra of Dortmund and ...
. "Opera" called his Sachs "one of the most impressive of our day".
He also left records as
Amfortas,
Gurnemanz,
Friedrich von Telramund,
Iago (in German translation),
Don Pizarro and
Jokanaan, and as bass soloist in
Beethoven's 9th Symphony. An anthology of operatic arias and monologues is also available.
References
External links
*
Ferdinand Frantzat Allmusic.com
Singing the role of the Wandererin
Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's opera ''
Siegfried
Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace".
The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
'', audio only, YouTube
Singing the role of Escamilloin
Bizet's opera ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
'', in German translation, audio only, YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frantz, Ferdinand
1906 births
1959 deaths
German operatic basses
Musicians from Kassel
Musicians from Hesse-Nassau
20th-century German male opera singers