Karl Ridderbusch (29 May 1932 – 21 June 1997) was a German operatic

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, associated in particular with the music of

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 ...

. He was recognised as a notable exponent of the role of

Hans Sachs Hans Sachs (5 November 1494 – 19 January 1576) was a German ''Meistersinger'' ("mastersinger"), poetry, poet, playwright, and shoemaking, shoemaker. Biography Hans Sachs was born in Nuremberg (). As a child he attended a singing school that w ...

. Barry Millington "Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die", Laura Macy (ed.) ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', Accessed online 9 November 2009

Background and early career

Karl Ridderbusch was born in Recklinghausen, Germany, and was discovered at an amateur music competition by the tenor Rudolf Schock who helped pay for the younger singer's training.Obituaries
'' Gramophone'', September 1997, p.12 Ridderbusch had previously planned to work as an engineer for his father. Elizabeth Forbesbr>Obituary: Karl Ridderbusch
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' Tuesday 8 July 1997, accessed 7 November 2009. After studying at the

conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

and the

Folkwang Hochschule The Folkwang University of the Arts is a university for music, theater, dance, design, and academic studies, located in four German cities of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1927, its traditional main location has been in the former Werden Abbey in ...

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

,Aryeh Oro
Karl Ridderbusch (bass)
Bach Cantatas Website, May 2001, accessed 9 November 2009 he made his debut at the State Theatre in

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

in 1961. Roles he sang there included the Commendatore and Phillip II. Ridderbusch's next post was in Essen where he added major roles by Verdi,

Strauss Strauss, Strauß, or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is usually spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" most com ...

and

to his repertoire. In 1965, he joined the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where he was based for the rest of his career. Roles there included Phillip II,

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, Sparafucile, Boris Godunov and Hunding.

Maturity

Ridderbusch's voice ranged over two octaves, allowing him to sing

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 ...

roles, such as Hans Sachs and Don Pizarro, and not just bass parts. Its qualities have been described as "firm clear sonorous and rich in timbre" and as "magnificently resonant nddark-coloured". He was known for his ability to maintain beauty of tone even at his loudest. He also had a formidable stage presence. Ridderbusch appeared at many of the world's major opera houses, including

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 ...

(from 1966), 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 ...

(1967), 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 ...

(1968), and the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

, Covent Garden (1971). He made his

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...

debut in 1967 as

Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler ( or '; ; – 2 July 936) was the duke of Saxony from 912 and the king of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non- Frankish king of East Francia, he established the Ottonian dynasty of kings and emper ...

. Between then and his last appearance there in 1977, Ridderbusch sang the roles of Fasolt, Hunding, and

Hagen Hagen () is a city in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme meet the Ruhr (river), Ruhr. In 2023, the ...

in the ''

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

'', Pogner and

in the '' Mastersingers'', Daland in '' The Flying Dutchman'', Titurel in ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is freely based on the 13th-century Middle High German chivalric romance ''Parzival'' of th ...

'' and King Marke in ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

''.Profile (in German) and list of appearances at festival
, Bayreuth Festival website, accessed 13 November 2009 He also sang Hans Sachs at the 1974 and 1975 Salzburg Easter Festivals, and at the Met and at the Chicago Lyric Opera. Gurnemanz was another Wagnerian role which he sang at several houses during the 1980s. Away from Wagner, other parts he sang included Rocco, the Doctor in '' Wozzeck'',

Caspar Caspar is a masculine given name. It may refer to: People * Caspar (magus), a name traditionally given to one of the Three Magi in the Bible who brought the baby Jesus gifts *Caspar Austa (born 1982), Estonian cyclist *Caspar Badrutt (1848–1904) ...

,Gerhard Brunner "Ridderbusch, Karl" The Grove Book of Opera Singers. Ed Laura Macy. Oxford University Press, 2008. Accessed via Oxford Reference Online 28 October 2008 and Sarastro. Among Ridderbusch's comic roles were Baron Ochs, Kecal, and Dr Bartolo. Although he was successful in these, it was the dramatic roles which he excelled. He was honoured as a

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 ...

by the Vienna State Opera in 1978. He also appeared in the concert hall, especially in sacred choral works. Karl Ridderbusch died at his home in

Wels Wels (; Central Bavarian: ''Wös'') is a city in Upper Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is the county seat of Wels-Land, and with a population of approximately 60,000, the List of cities and towns in Austria, eighth largest city in Aus ...

, Austria of heart and liver problems. He married twice and had three children.

Recordings

Several of Karl Ridderbusch's studio recordings were in collaboration with Herbert von Karajan. These include the ''Ring'', ''Mastersingers'', ''Tristan'', "Fidelio", ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wo ...

'' and J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor following performances at the Salzburg Easter Festival. Karl Böhm was another frequent studio partner. Their recordings together include Strauss's '' Capriccio'',

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's 9th Symphony and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

. Other studio collaborations include the '' Saint Matthew Passion'' with

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, known for his historically informed performances. He specialized in music of the Baroque period, but later extended his repertoire to include Classical ...

, '' Leonore'' with Herbert Blomstedt, and Bruckner's Mass in D minor with

Eugen Jochum Eugen Jochum (; 1 November 1902 – 26 March 1987) was a German conducting, conductor, best known for his interpretations of the music of Anton Bruckner, Carl Orff, and Johannes Brahms, among others. Biography Jochum was born to a Roman Catholic ...

. Among all these, his obituarists have selected Ridderbusch's portrayal of the goldsmith Veit Pogner, the wealthiest of the Mastersingers, and of the impresario La Roche in ''Capriccio'' as his most memorable work in the studio. Recordings from the Bayreuth Festival include ''Mastersingers'' under both Böhm and Silvio Varviso, ''Dutchman'' under Böhm, ''Lohengrin'' under both Rudolf Kempe and Alberto Erede and ''Parsifal'' under both

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

and Jochum. Live recordings also exist of Ridderbusch singing another role with which he is associated - that of Baron Ochs in ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

''. Ridderbusch's stage presence survives on two commercial videos; as Fafner in Karajan's filming of his Salzburg ''Rheingold'' and as Kecal, the marriage broker, in a German-language version of ''

The Bartered Bride ''The Bartered Bride'' (, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It ...

''. Solo recordings include ''Karl Ridderbusch: a portrait'' and an eponymous double album, both listed by German vendors, and a Loewe recital on LP for

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

, since anthologised as part of a double CD release of the composer.

References

External links

THE MAGIC FLUTE (YouTube)

MEISTERSINGER (YouTube, audio only, with tenor Jean Cox)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridderbusch, Karl 1932 births 1997 deaths German operatic basses People from Recklinghausen Österreichischer Kammersänger 20th-century German male opera singers