Thomas Quasthoff is 60
mainIt’s the 60th birthday of the wonderful baritone Thomas Quasthoff, one of the finest Lieder singers of our time, a man who surmounted the greatest disabilities.
I once asked the aged Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to name his successors.
Tommy was one of the two names that he gave.
Many happy returns.
I saw his American debut in 1995 at the Oregon Bach Festival in St. John Passion and in War Requiem. The internet was in its infancy and though he had already won big prizes in Europe, I had never heard of him and did not know what kind of treat was in store for me. I saw both of his performances and they were among the most memorable of my lifetime.
I was there as well and a friend of mine had made the small riser for him. It was an emotional moment to see him come on stage, and then the singing…
In 2012, at Verbier, he gave his Masterclasses at the theatre (the largest venue) and it was always packed. Before the classes, he sat outside to chat with admirers, in a variety of languages. A truly amazing person, and then the singing…
Happy birthday to one of the greatest lieder singers of the 20th and 21st century, and thank you for the memories of his sublime performances.
My brother’s, too. Happy Birthday, bro.
And the other one?
Die allerherzlichsten Glückwünsche zum runden Geburtstag, lieber Professor Quasthoff!
“one of the finest Lieder singers of our time”? No. -of ALL times. Happy birthday.
Happy Birthday, Thomas. So very much loved.
One of the great artists of our time. Happy birthday!
I only had the pleasure of attending one concert in which he took part – Haydn’s Creation on the morning of the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death. Hearing the work in the glorious Hall in Eisenstadt where so many of Haydn’s works were premiered (although not The Creation) with Adam Fischer and his superb Austro-Hungarian Orchestra was wonderfully special. The other two soloists may not have risen to Quastoff’s magisterial heights, but it remains in my memory as a superb performance.
Who is the other one? Goerne? A. Schmidt?
Quasthoff’s concert with Barenboim in Italienisches Liederbuch here in Chicago (2003) is unforgettable. I hope somebody has recorded to preserve for posterity.
I once asked the aged Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to name his successors.
And the other name? Andreas Schmidt? Dietrich Henschel?
Happy birthday to the wonderful singer and enthusiastic teacher.
Wigmore Hall will live stream an interview with the baritone coming Sunday, November 24th at 3.00 PM by Sara Mohr-Pietsch.
Looking forward to his opinions.