Vienna mourns a loyal baritone, 89
RIPThe Vienna State Opera has posted mourning notices for Hans Helm, a company member for 25 years whose death has just been made known. Helm died on November 23, aged 89.
Born in Passau, he joined the Vienna ensemble in 1958, singing Figaro in the “Barber of Seville” 46 times, Count Almaviva in the “Marriage of Figaro” 45 times, Marcello in “Bohème” 30 times and Faninal in “Rosenkavalier” 69 times. Unusually self-effacing, he preferred to sing the praises of his colleagues than to listen to his own.
Abroad, he sang at Glyndebourne in 1976.
An ensemble member comme il faut! Reliable, versatile, unassuming … oh, just to keep the record straight: Whatever role he sang, he sang it well! The likes of Hans Helm in any voice range one finds very rarely today … such singers tend to be overlooked because they do not consider their profession (Beruf) to be a job but rather “eine Berufung”, a calling. RiP
First: Hans Helm died on 23. Dezember 2023. From the Staatsoper website:
„Am 23. Dezember ist KS Hans Helm im 90. Lebensjahr verstorben und mit ihm ein Stück schöne Staatsopern-Vergangenheit“.
Second: with respect to the attached YouTube clip, „In fernem Land“ is a tenor aria; Helm was a baritone. The YouTube notes indicate that several artists’ performances are included in the album „50 Essential Opera“ [sic], including those of Helm, Herbert Schachtschneider (a tenor who made a complete recording of „Lohengrin“ in 1968), Leonore Kirschstein (soprano), Otto von Rohr (basso), Ruth Hesse (mezzo), and Heinz Imdahl (baritone).
In fact, it seems to be an extract from this recording:
Wagner: „Lohengrin“ – Otto von Rohr, Herbert Schachtschneider (Lohengrin), Leonore Kirschstein (Elsa), Heinz Imdahl (Friedrich von Telramund), Ruth Hesse (Ortrud), Hans Helm, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Large symphony orchestra (with members of the Czech Philharmonic), conductors: Hans Swarowsky, recorded in August 1968
It would appear that Helm sang the Herrufer in this recording (a role he sang at Wiener Staatsoper 23 times) and is not heard in the YouTube clip. Outside of the leading roles you mention, he was largely relegated to comprimario roles. I can’t find an example of his singing online, except, perhaps, in one of the small roles in the Act I wedding scene on the HvK/Freni/Pavarotti Decca recording of „Madama Butterfly“.
Hans Helm was an excellent singer and one of the most reliable singers at the Vienna State Opera.