Heinz "Honzo" Holecek (1 April 1938 – 13 April 2012OTS-Aussendung der Staatsoper (OTS0167 13. Apr. 2012 13:10): ''Zum Tod von KS Margarita Lilowa und KS Heinz Holecek''
Online
) was an Austrian

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 ...

, known as an opera and operetta singer as well as a

lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

interpreter, was also a Viennese "all-round artist" – actor, parodist, and entertainer.

Career

Born in Vienna, Holecek completed his vocal training at the

Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna The Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (; MUK) in Vienna, Austria, is a university of music and the arts. It was previously (2005−2015) named (KONSuni, Konservatorium Wien University), and before that (Conservatory of Vienna). I ...

, and then studied Holecek studied at the

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university established in 1817 located in Vienna. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of t ...

, where his teachers included

Elisabeth Radó Elisabeth Radó (29 October 1899 – 3 April 1986) was a Yugoslavian singer and singing teacher from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Biography Born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which in the days before World War I was still part of the Austro-H ...

. He made his debut in 1960 at the

Volksoper The Vienna Volksoper (''Volksoper'' or ''Vienna People's Opera'') is an opera house in Vienna, Austria. It produces three hundred performances of twenty-five German language productions of opera, operetta, musicals, and ballet, during an annual s ...

as Papageno 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 ...

''. His first performance at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

was the same role in 1962, and from 1965 he performed at both houses. Holecek made guest appearances at opera houses in Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Zürich, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, and also at the

Bregenz Festival Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. History The Festival becam ...

. In 1977, he was awarded the title

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 ...

and in 2000 he was awarded the ''Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art I Class''.

Work

Holecek interpreted many operetta roles. In ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original literary source for ' was ...

'' by Johann Strauss, he played the roles of Falke, Frank and Frosch. He was also active as artistic director and as director at the summer festival at the Schallaburg and at the Kamptaler Festspiele.''KS Heinz Holecek.''
Volksoper, retrieved 16 July 2021. In addition, he participated in a large number of sound recordings as well as television productions and had numerous TV shows of his own. His parodies were very popular with the audience. Holecek also devoted himself to the cultivation of the

Wienerlied The Wienerlied (German, literally: Viennese song, pl. Wienerlieder) or Weanaliad (viennese, pl. ''Weanaliada'') is a traditional song genre which has its roots in Austria's capital and largest city, Vienna. Wienerlieder often center on life in ...

. Together with

Heinz Zednik Heinz Zednik (born 21 February 1940) is an Austrian operatic buffo tenor, closely associated with the character tenor roles of Wagner such as Mime and Loge (''Der Ring des Nibelungen'') and David (''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''). He is also ...

and the Philharmonia-Schrammeln as well as with the Wiener Schrammel Ensemble he made several CD recordings. Tours with Viennese songs took him to Los Angeles, Montreal, Moscow, and Japan. He was also an honorary board member of the Vienna Animal Protection Society. Holecek died in April 2012 on his 74th birthday, having been in a coma since a collapse in February. He was buried on 27 April 2012 at the (1-10-7) in Vienna. HolecekHeinz

Holecek died in Vienna at the age of 74. His son Sebastian Holecek also became a singer and has been a member of the ensemble of the

Vienna Volksoper The Vienna Volksoper (''Volksoper'' or ''Vienna People's Opera'') is an opera house in Vienna, Austria. It produces three hundred performances of twenty-five German language productions of opera, operetta, musicals, and ballet, during an annual s ...

since 2006.

Honours

* 1977: Appointment as

* 2000: Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst I. Klasse * 2001: in Gold * Benennung des ''Heinz-Holecek-Platzes'' in

Währing Währing () is the 18th Districts of Vienna, district of Vienna and lies in northwestern Vienna on the edge of the Vienna Woods. It was formed in 1892 from the unification of the older suburbs of Währing, Weinhaus, Gersthof, Pötzleinsdorf, Neus ...

Recordings

Friedrich Cerha Friedrich Cerha (; 17 February 1926 – 14 February 2023) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and academic teacher. His ensemble in Vienna was instrumental in spreading contemporary music in Austria. He composed several operas, beginning with ...

: ''Baal'', with

Martha Mödl Martha Mödl (22 March 1912, Nuremberg – 17 December 2001, Stuttgart) was a German soprano, and later a mezzo-soprano. She specialized in large dramatic roles such as Isolde, Brünnhilde, and particularly Kundry, and is considered, along with Ast ...

, Emily Rawlins, Margarethe Bence,

Waldemar Kmentt Waldemar Kmentt (Vienna, 2 February 1929 Vienna, 21 January 2015) was an Austrian operatic tenor, who was particularly associated with the German repertory, both opera and operetta. Born in Vienna, Kmentt studied at the Vienna Music Academy, fi ...

, Heinz Holecek, conductor:

Christoph von Dohnányi Christoph von Dohnányi (; born 8 September 1929) is a German conducting, conductor. Biography Youth and World War II Dohnányi was born in Berlin, Germany to Hans von Dohnanyi, a German jurist of Hungarian ancestry, and Christine von Dohnan ...

Wiener Philharmoniker Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...

, Amadeo, live recording of the premiere, 1981 *Johann Strauß: ''Die Fledermaus'', with Eberhard Wächter,

Gundula Janowitz Gundula Janowitz (born 2 August 1937)"Janowitz, Gundula"
by

Wolfgang Windgassen Wolfgang Windgassen (26 June 1914 – 8 September 1974) was a German heldentenor internationally known for his performances in Wagner operas. Life and career Born in Annemasse, France, he was the son (and pupil) of a well known German Heldentenor ...

, Heinz Holecek (Falke), Erich Kunz. Director:

Otto Schenk Otto Schenk (12 June 1930 – 9 January 2025) was an Austrian actor, stage director for plays and opera, and theatre director. He worked internationally at major houses such as the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York Cit ...

. Conductor:

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz, St ...

, Wiener Philharmoniker, televiosion film (1972)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holecek, Heinz Bass-baritones 20th-century Austrian male opera singers Österreichischer Kammersänger Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class Wienerlied 1938 births 2012 deaths Singers from Vienna Austrian people of Czech descent Austrian parodists Parody musicians Austrian comedy musicians