Hans-Hermann Nissen (May 20, 1893, Danzig - March 28, 1980, Munich) was a German operatic bass-baritone, particularly associated with Wagner roles, one of the leading Wotan and Hans Sachs of the inter-war period.
He studied in Berlin with Julius Raatz-Brockmann, and made his debut at the Volksoper Berlin, as Kalif in Der Barbier von Bagdad , in 1924. He joined the Munich State Opera in 1925, where he remained until 1967, and was a regular guest at the Bayreuth Festival, where he quickly established himself as a leading Wagnerian.
Beginning in 1928, he made guest appearances outside Germany, singing at the Royal Opera House in London, the Paris Opéra, the Vienna State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, La Monnaie in Brussels, La Scala in Milan, and the Liceo in Barcelona. He made his American debut at the Chicago Civic Opera in 1930, and at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1938.
Beside Wotan and Sachs, other notable roles included; Wolfram, Telramund, Kurwenal, Dutchman in The Flying Dutchman , Orest in Elektra , and Barak in Die Frau ohne Schatten . He also tackled a few Verdi roles such as di Luna, Renato, Amonasro, among others.
Nissen possessed a rich and sonorous voice and an imposing stage presence.
Theo Adam was a German operatic bass-baritone and bass singer who had an international career in opera, concert and recital from 1949. He was a member of the Staatsoper Dresden for his entire career, and sang at the Bayreuth Festival from 1952 to 1980. He particularly excelled in portraying roles by Richard Wagner, especially Wotan in Der Ring des Nibelungen, which he also performed at the Metropolitan Opera, among others. In concert, he was a much admired Bach singer and also drew acclaim for his interpretation of the title character of Mendelssohn's Elijah. He was a voice teacher at the Musikhochschule Dresden.
Thomas Stewart was an American bass-baritone who sang an unusually wide range of roles, earning global acclaim particularly for his performances in Wagner's operas.
Anton van Rooy was a Dutch bass-baritone. He had a voice of enormous proportions and is most remembered for his association with the music dramas of Richard Wagner, especially the Ring Cycle, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg and Parsifal.
Ferdinand Frantz, was a German operatic bass-baritone. He was well known in his time for his performances in the operas of Richard Wagner.
Otto Wiener was an Austrian baritone, notable for his performances in the operas of Richard Wagner.
Georg Hann was an Austrian operatic bass-baritone, particularly associated with the comic (singspiel) German repertory.
Alan Titus is an internationally celebrated baritone.
Robert Hale is an American bass-baritone opera singer. Although born in Texas, Hale spent his childhood in Louisiana. His family then moved to Oklahoma City, where he attended high school and college. He graduated from Bethany-Peniel College in 1955 with a Bachelor of Music degree. He then completed his master's degree at the University of Oklahoma. While still at the University of Oklahoma, he won the National Association of Teachers of Singing Singer of the Year award and completed further studies at Boston University and the New England Conservatory of Music where he was awarded the Artist Diploma as well as winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He began his career as a recitalist appearing in concert halls across the United States and later made his operatic debut at New York City Opera, as Colline in La bohème (1967).
Franz Betz was a German bass-baritone opera singer who sang at the Berlin State Opera from 1859 to 1897. He was particularly known for his performances in operas by Richard Wagner and created the role of Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
Ekkehard Wlaschiha was a German operatic baritone who specialized in Wagnerian "villains", such as Alberich, Klingsor and Friedrich von Telramund. He performed at the Bayreuth Festival and at the Metropolitan Opera, and left many recordings.
Helge Nissen was a Danish operatic bass-baritone, conductor, voice teacher, and film actor who was associated with the Royal Danish Theatre from 1897 until his death in 1926. He notably created roles in the world premieres of two operas by composer Carl Nielsen: Abner in Saul og David (1902) and Henrik in Maskarade (1906). His voice is preserved on a total of 70 recordings made with the Pathé, HMV and Deutsche Grammophon record companies from 1908 to 1914.
Leopold Demuth (real name Leopold Pokorny was a Moravian operatic baritone. He was celebrated in particular for his successful performances in works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner.
Victor von Halem was a German operatic bass. He was a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin for nearly 30 years as well as a guest singer in the major opera houses and festivals of Europe and North America. He sang a wide repertoire encompassing over 100 roles, including King Philipp in Verdi's Don Carlo and Hans Sachs in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
Albert Dohmen is a German operatic bass-baritone who is known internationally for performing leading roles by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. He has also worked in concert halls and given lieder recitals.
Heinz Imdahl was a German operatic baritone. A member of the Bavarian State Opera, he performed many leading roles at the Vienna State Opera, and appeared as Beethoven's Pizarro at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and Wagner's Hans Sachs at the Philadelphia Opera.
Michael Volle is a German operatic baritone. After engagements at several German and Swiss opera houses, he has worked freelance since 2011. While he first appeared in Mozart roles such as Guglielmo, Papageno and Don Giovanni, he moved on to title roles such as Verdi's Falstaff, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Alban Berg's Wozzeck. He has performed at major opera houses in Europe and the Metropolitan Opera, in roles including Mandryka in Arabella and Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. His awards include Singer of the Year by Opernwelt and Der Faust.
Wolfgang Koch is a German operatic bass-baritone. He is best known for his performances in leading roles in the operas of Richard Wagner.
Johann Baptist Hoffmann was a German operatic baritone and voice teacher. A long-term member of the Berlin Court Opera, he performed leading roles in Europe, such as Verdi's Rigoletto and Wagner's Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer. He took part in several world premieres in Berlin.
Theodor Bertram was a German bass-baritone prominent in the operas of Richard Wagner. A regular performer at the Bayreuth Festival from 1901 to 1906, he was greatly admired for his portrayals of Wagnerian heroes and particularly Wotan. Bertram was born in Stuttgart and died by suicide in Bayreuth following the death of his second wife, Lotte Wetterling. His first wife was the soprano Fanny Moran-Olden who was also a prominent Wagnerian singer.
Hermann Wiedemann was a German operatic baritone and academic teacher. He was a long-term member of the Imperial Court Opera in Vienna from 1916, where he appeared as Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss 196 times, and as Beckmesser in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg 155 times. He was Beckmesser also in a recording from the Salzburg Festival 1937, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. He performed internationally at leading opera houses and festivals, such as the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires and the Zoppoter Festspiele. He appeared in the world premieres of Wolf-Ferrari's I gioielli della Madonna in Berlin, Busoni's Die Brautwahl in Hamburg, and Lehár's Giuditta in Vienna.