Sudden death of international German tenor, aged 52

Sudden death of international German tenor, aged 52

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norman lebrecht

April 27, 2017

The Vienna Volksoper has announced the sudden and unexpected death on April 26 of Endrik Wottrich, a prominent German tenor who sang in many international houses.

photo (c) Royal Opera House

Originally from Celle in Germany, he graduated from Juilliard and was a member of the Berlin Staatsoper through the 1990s.

He sang the title part in Parsifal in Bayreuth in 2004 and Tannhäuser the following year at La Scala.

He worked often and recorded with Nikolaus Hanoncourt and was a regular at Covent Garden.

TRIBUTE: Amazing laugh was his best opus.

UPDATE: In Bayreuth’s Parsifal I lost the love of my life.

Comments

  • Nik says:

    Sorry to hear.
    He hit the headlines a few years ago when he spoke openly about the dark sides of an opera singer’s existence.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/19/germany.classicalmusic

    • Ungeheuer says:

      That was quite an indictment of the industry. And so true. Good for him for speaking out. More people should read the article and then keep it in mind.

  • Ungeheuer says:

    Wow. So so sorry to learn of his untimely passing. May he rest in peace. His was a name that came up often in operaworld. Hard to believe he is no longer around.

  • Olassus says:

    Berg, Wozzeck,
    Barenboim/Meier/Wottrich/Clark/Baker/Grundheber/Kannen,
    1994, DVD, Berlin, Teldec

    Berg, Wozzeck,
    Gatti/Herlitzius/Miller-Ma/Ablinger-Sperrhacke/Wottrich/Nigl/Marquardt,
    2008, live in Milan, Premiere Opera

    Braunfels, Vögel, Die,
    Zagrosek/Kwon/Posselt/Wottrich/Goerne/Holzmair/Kraus-M,
    1994, Decca

    Cornelius, Cid, Der,
    Kuhn/Ottenthal/Wottrich/Schunk/Dohmen/Johansen,
    1993, Koch Schwann

    Gurlitt, Wozzeck,
    Albrecht/Lindsley/Wottrich/Wörle/Scharinger/Hermann,
    1993, Crystal

    Korngold, Ring des Polykrates, Der,
    Seibel/Bilandzija/Blanck/Wottrich/Sacher/Henschel,
    1995, cpo

    Marschner, Hans Heiling,
    Thielemann/Barainsky/Marc/Wiedstruck/Wottrich/Schöne,
    2001, live in Berlin, May 15, Premiere Opera, CD 8172-2

    Schubert, Alfonso und Estrella,
    Harnoncourt/Orgonášová/Wottrich/Hampson/Bär/Muff,
    1997, DVD, Vienna, Naxos

    Schumann, Szenen aus Goethes Faust,
    Abbado/Mattila/Bonney/Vermillion/Wottrich/Terfel/Rootering/Peeters,
    1994, live in Berlin, Sony

    Wagner, Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die,
    Barenboim/Fleming/Wottrich/Seiffert/Schmidt-A/Holl/Halfvarson,
    1996, live at Bayreuth, Celestial Audio

    Wagner, Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die,
    Barenboim/Magee/Wottrich/Seiffert/Schmidt-A/Holl/Hölle,
    1999, DVD, Bayreuth, EuroArts

    Wagner, Walküre (Der Ring des Nibelungen), Die,
    Thielemann/Pieczonka/Watson-Ld/Breedt/Wottrich/Dohmen/Youn-K,
    2007, live at Bayreuth, July 28, House of Opera

    Wagner, Walküre (Der Ring des Nibelungen), Die,
    Thielemann/Westbroek/Watson-Ld/Dike/Wottrich/Dohmen/Youn-K,
    2008, live at Bayreuth, Aug 9, Opus Arte

    Wagner, Walküre (Der Ring des Nibelungen), Die,
    Thielemann/Westbroek/Watson-Ld/Breedt/Wottrich/Dohmen/Youn-K,
    2009, live at Bayreuth, July 28, Premiere Opera

    Wagner, Walküre (Der Ring des Nibelungen), Die,
    Ettinger/Wessels/Németh/Prochnik/Wottrich/Jesatko/Hemm,
    2013, DVD, Mannheim, Arthaus

    Weber, Freischütz, Der,
    Harnoncourt/Schäfer/Orgonášová/Wottrich/Salminen,
    1995, live in Berlin, Teldec*

    *this is better than Kleiber’s

  • Analeck Kram-Hammerbauer says:

    I’m really sorry to hear this sad news. Endrik is a very fine Wagner tenor, his Walküre is IMHO better than Jona Kaufmann’s. And last but not least, he was the best ex of Katharina Wagner.

  • Theodore McGuiver says:

    Unbelievable. A real shock.

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