Gunther Emmerlich
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Gunther Emmerlich (; 18 September 194419 December 2023) was a German operatic bass, a member of the
Dresden State Opera The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the T ...
, and a television presenter of popular shows. He was also a
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
performer, playing the
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...
.


Life

Gunther Emmerlich was born during the final year of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in Eisenberg, a small town between
Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...
and
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
on 18 September 1944. His father never returned from the war and his mother died of
multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
at the age of 49 when he was eleven, although Emmerlich believed that an underlying cause was continued grief following the death of her husband. He was spared the orphanage thanks to his elder brother and sister, with whom he remained following his mother's death. After successful completion of his schooling, he moved on to study civil engineering in Erfurt, but dropped out. Upon ending this training, he switched to music, studying to be an opera singer between 1967 and 1972 at the
Franz Liszt Academy The Franz Liszt Academy of Music (, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the Liszt Collection, which features several ...
in
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, with Hans Kremers and Eleonore Elstermann. He studied further in Dresden with Johannes Kemter, and in master classes of the Russian bass
Pavel Lisitsian Pavel Gerasimovich Lisitsian (, ; November 6, 1911 – July 6, 2004), was a Soviet baritone opera singer who performed in the Bolshoi Opera, Moscow from 1940 until his retirement from stage in 1966. People's Artist of the USSR (1956). Biography ...
. After working for the studio of the
Dresden State Opera The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the T ...
, he made his debut at opera as the Farmer in Carl Orff's ''
Die Kluge ' (''The Wise irl The Story of the King and the Wise Woman'') is an opera in 12 scenes written by Carl Orff. It premiered at the Frankfurt Opera, Germany, on 20 February 1943. Orff referred to this opera as a ' (fairy tale opera). The composer al ...
'' in 1978, and then became a member of the ensemble. One of his signature roles was Osmin in Mozart's ''
Die Entführung aus dem Serail ' () (Köchel catalogue, K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's . The plot concer ...
''. He took part in the performance of Weber's ''
Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...
'' to open the restored Semperoper, as Kuno. He starred in a celebrated performance of in Leipzig, conducted by composer
Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films '' Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' (1969), and '' Serpico'' (1973). He was a three-ti ...
. Other notable roles included Falstaff in Nicolai's ''
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor ''Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'', or ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'', is an 1849 opera in three acts by Otto Nicolai to a German libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal based on Shakespeare's play. Published as a comical-fantastical work in thre ...
'', Sarastro in Mozart's ''
Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...
'', Tevye in '' The Fiddler on the Roof'', Eliza's father in ''
My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...
'', and Sallah Shabati in the musical of the same name by
Ephraim Kishon Ephraim Kishon (; August 23, 1924 – January 29, 2005) was a Hungarian-born Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Academy Award, Oscar-nominated film director. He was one of the most widely read contemporary satire, satirists in Israel a ...
. He also appeared as Rocco in Beethoven's ''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...
'', Geronimo in Cimarosa's ''
Il matrimonio segreto ' (''The Secret Marriage'') is a dramma giocoso in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the 1766 play '' The Clandestine Marriage'' by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick. It was first performed ...
'', and Dulcamara in Donizetti's ''
L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (; ''The Elixir of Love'') is a (comic melodrama, opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's (1831). ...
'', successful not only in singing but also acting. Emmerich performed as a guest, often with the ensemble of the State Opera, such as Alfonso in Mozart's ''
Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...
'' in Amsterdam in 1988. In 2008, Emmerlich made his debut at New York's
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
with the opera singer
Deborah Sasson Deborah Sasson née Deborah Ann O'Brien (born 22 August 1949), is an American operatic soprano, musical theatre actress and composer, mostly active in Germany. She graduated Millis High School in 1967. She worked also in pop music. She was Miss M ...
. During the 1980s in the German Democratic Republic, Emmerlich embarked on a parallel career as a television presenter with
Deutscher Fernsehfunk Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DFF; German for "German Television Broadcasting") was the state television broadcaster in the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) from 1952 to 1991. DFF produced free-to-air terrestrial television programmin ...
. Between 1987 and 1990 he hosted the television cabaret show . For many years following
reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller politics or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal govern ...
, Emmerlich was the presenter of ' ''(Homeland Charms),'' a popular show transmitted from Leipzig, featuring popular music. This and other regular appearances made him a firm favourite with television audiences across both sides of the inner border. Starting in 2004 he hosted the , a folk music prize gala. From its revival in 2006 until 2015, Emmerlich hosted the . He was a member of the Semper House Band, which takes most of its members from the orchestra of the
Dresden State Opera The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the T ...
, and was dedicated to performing
traditional jazz Trad jazz, short for "traditional jazz", is a form of jazz in the United States and Britain that flourished from the 1930s to 1960s, based on the earlier New Orleans Dixieland jazz style. Prominent English trad jazz musicians such as Chris Barb ...
.


Personal life

Emmerlich was married to actress (née Kretschmar); the couple had a son together. They separated in 2014 after a 35-year marriage. He also had a son from an earlier relationship. Emmerlich lived in the in Dresden. Emmerlich died in Dresden on 19 December 2023, at age 79.


Awards and honours

* 1990
Bambi Award The Bambi, often called the Bambi Award and stylised as BAMBI, is a German award presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television to personalities in the media, arts, culture, sports, and oth ...
* 1997
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...
*
Kammersänger Kammersänger (male; ) or Kammersängerin (female; ), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German Title of honor, honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was besto ...


Writings

* * * *


Discography

* * * * * *


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emmerich, Gunther 1944 births 2023 deaths People from Stadtroda Musicians from Thuringia German operatic basses East German musicians 20th-century German musicians German television presenters Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German male musicians