Death of a German bass, 82
RIPWe have been notified of the death today, after a long illness, of Viktor von Halem, a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin for more than 30 years and a stalwart on the world stage. He sang more than 100 roles.
Harold Schonberg once described him as ‘a giant of a man with a voice to match’.
I heard him in 1996 when he sang the title role in Wagner’s “Flying Dutchman” in Denver. Wonderful, commanding performance. RIP
Played Meistersinger with him as Sachs in Spoleto and we found ourselves at the same place for an espresso and had some easy going chats…kind person with a great voice and talent…sad to hear this.