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Karl-Heinz Thiemann
LouisAlain: ←Created page with ''''Karl-Heinz Thiemann''' (born 1933<ref name="Augustin"/> in Herbern (Ascheberg) near Münster, Westfalen) is a German Opera singer (tenor). ==...'
'''Karl-Heinz Thiemann''' (born 1933<ref name="Augustin"/> in Herbern (Ascheberg) near [[Münster]], [[Westfalen]]) is a German [[Opera singer]] ([[tenor]]).
== Career ==
=== Origin and education ===
Thiemann was born in [[Münsterland]] from a musical family.<ref name="Augustin">Siegfried Augustin: ''Karl-Heinz Thiemann. Ein Porträt des Künstlers in einigen seiner großen Rollen'' (CD-Booklet; 2008).</ref> He worked as a railway official and first appeared as a soloist at various singing clubs.<ref name="Augustin"/> After a successful audition, he studied singing at the Dortmund Conservatory from 1956 to 1961, majoring in voice with [[Rudolf Watzke]] and at the [[Musikhochschule Köln]] with Dietger Jakob.<ref name="Lohengrin">''Wir stellen vor: Karl-Heinz Thiemann''. In: Programmheft und Besetzungszettel zur Oper ''Lohengrin''; Aufführung vom 5 July 1980 ([[Staatstheater Nürnberg]])</ref><ref name="Nüs96">Programmheft Neujahrskonzert der Nürnberger Symphoniker 1996 vo 5./6. January 1996, .</ref><ref name="Nüs98">Programmheft Hans-Sachs-Chor Nürnberg vom 10. April 1998</ref> During his studies he already sang the tenor part in Verdi's [[Requiem (Verdi)|Requiem]] in [[Dortmund]] in a performance by students of the conservatory.
=== Early years ===
He had his first firm engagement (as "lyric tenor and intermediate tenor") at the .<ref name="Lohengrin"/> There he made his debut 1961 as Florestan in ''[[Fidelio]]''.<ref name="Augustin"/><ref name="Lohengrin"/> In his first season he sang there altogether six different professional roles: among others Alvaro in ''[[La forza del destino]]'', Turiddu in ''[[Cavalleria rusticana]]'', Rinuccio in ''[[Gianni Schicchi]]'' and Ernesto in ''[[Don Pasquale]]''. In his second season in 1962/1963 he took over Belmonte in ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]'' (1963), Max in ''[[Der Freischütz]]'' (1963) for the first time and the title role in ''[[Lohengrin]]'' for the first time (along with Edeltraud Blanke as Elsa von Brabant). As Max he was also a guest at the during his time in Koblenz.
A further firm engagement followed from 1965 to 1968 as "Jugendlicher Heldentenor" at the [[Aalto Theatre]].<ref name="Lohengrin"/> There he took over youthfully dramatic roles like the title role in ''[[Andrea Chénier]]'' and Hugo von Ringstetten in ''[[Undine (Lortzing)|Undine]]''.
=== Permanent engagement at the Nuremberg Opera House ===
In the 1965/66 season, Thiemann made a guest appearance in April 1966 for the first time as a substitute at the [[Staatstheater Nürnberg]], as Hoffmann in the opera ''[[The Tales of Hoffmann]]''.<ref name="Lohengrin"/> Thereupon he was engaged by music director, as a guest for the title role in ''[[Don Carlos]]'' (1966, with [[Janis Martin (soprano)|Janis Martin]] as Princess Eboli) to the opera house Nuremberg.<ref name="Lohengrin"/> Since the 1968/69 season, Thiemann has been a permanent member of the Nuremberg Opera House until his retirement at the end of the 1997/98 season.<ref>''Staatstheater Nürnberg''. Nürnberg 2005, , </ref> There, he was one of the "pillars of the house" for decades.<ref>''Staatstheater Nürnberg''. Nürnberg 2005, , </ref> Thiemann's first role in Nuremberg was the title role in ''[[Othello]]'' (premiere: December 1968, with [[Catarina Ligendza]] as Desdemona). Later he sang this role again in another Nuremberg ''Othello'' new production. (Premiere: April 1978; director: with as Desdemona).
Thiemann sang all specialist roles as the young hero tenor in Nuremberg, later he successively included numerous large [[Heldentenor]] roles in his repertoire. Thiemann also sang the role of the heavy character tenor at the Nuremberg Opera House.
In 1970 he appeared in Nuremberg for the first time in the role of Max in ''Der Freischütz'' (director: ). In a production by [[Peter Beauvais]], he took on the role of Max again in a new production at the Nuremberg Opera in 1980 (premiere: April 1980; conductor: Hans Gierster. Thiemann sang this role continuously until 1986, in addition in the revival further from November 1988 to June 1989). In September 1971 he sang Herodes in ''[[Salome (opera)|Salome]]]'' for the first time in Nuremberg (among others with [[Claudia Hellmann]] and [[Astrid Varnay]] as Herodias). Further roles of Thiemann in the 1970s were Kaiser in ''[[Die Frau ohne Schatten]]'' (1973; director: Hans-Peter Lehmann, conductor: Hans Gierster, with [[Astrid Varnay]] as Amme), Dimitri in ''[[Boris Godunov (opera)|Boris Godunov]]'' (1973/74 season; with [[Dunja Vejzović]] as Marina and Astrid Varnay as Schenkwirtin), Hermann in ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'' (Premiere: October 1975; director: ; musical direction: Hans Gierster), Prinz in ''[[Rusalka (opera)|Rusalka]]'' (Premiere: December 1975; director: , conductor: Hans Gierster), Tichon in ''[[Káťa Kabanová]]'' (1977) and Wladimir in ''[[Prince Igor]]'' (1978).
=== Wagner roles at the Nuremberg Opera House ===
Thiemann was appointed to the Nuremberg Opera House, especially after the retirement of [[Sebastian Feiersinger]] (1975), often used as [[Richard Wagner|Wagnerian tenor]]. At the Nuremberg Opera House he was regarded for decades as the "epitome of the Wagner singer".<ref name="Voskamp">Jens Voskamp: ''Abschied von der Bühne'' in ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 22 July 1998</ref>
In the 1970/71 season he sang Lohengrin for the first time at the Nuremberg Opera House, in a production by Hans-Peter Lehmann; he also took on this role in the revival in July 1980. In the 1989/90 season he sang Lohengrin again in a new production by Ernst A. Klusen, as a cast alongside Thomas Sunnegardh. In May 1991 he appeared for the last time as Lohengrin. In May 1971 Thiemann first sang the role of Walter von Stolzing in ''[[Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg]]'' at the Nuremberg Opera House (director: Hans-Peter Lehmann; revival 1981). From 1986 to 1989 he again took over Stolzing (as house cast next to Wolfgang Fassler in a ''Meistersinger'' new production of ; premiere: November 1986). Last he sang the Stolzing in May 1989.
In December 1977 he first sang Erik in ''[[The Flying Dutchman]]'' (conductor: Hans Gierster; director: [[Luca Ronconi]]; on his first directing debut in Germany). He later took over the role of Erik again in the 1992/1993 season, from April 1993 in the title role alongside , and in the revivals in 1994 and 1996. In April 1994 he also sang Erik in the farewell performance of Nuremberg soprano Ursula Wendt Walther. In July 1996 he last appeared as Erik.
In 1978 he took over the lodge in ''[[Das Rheingold]]'' (premiere July 1978; director , conductor Hans Gierster) in the Nuremberg Ring Cycle, which was broken off afterwards for cost reasons. In February 1983 he first sang the title role in ''[[Parsifal]]'' (director [[Gert Westphal]]; musical direction: Hans Gierster). In October 1983 he made his debut as Siegmund in ''[[Die Walküre]]'' (premiere October 1983; director: ; musical direction: Hans Gierster).
In the course of his career at the Nuremberg Opera, Thiemann later developed the great heroic tenor roles in Wagner under the conductor [[Christian Thielemann]]: the title roles in ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' (premiere October 1990 until December 1991) and ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'' (premiere March 1992; last in June 1993). During his time as general music director in Nuremberg, Thielemann used Thiemann in numerous major main roles, especially in operas by [[Richard Wagner]], [[Richard Strauss]] and [[Hans Pfitzner]].
=== Commitment to modernity ===
During his career, Thiemann took over again and again also parts from the area of the modern age. He was particularly interested in the music of the 20th century. Thiemann's strong affinity to modern music was also evident in the clarity of his words and his creative power.
In the 1970/71 season (premiere December 1970) Thiemann sang Aron in ''[[Moses and Aron]]''. Thiemann's "ariose eloquence" was emphasized in reviews.<ref>''"Moses and Aron" - Glanzstück der Nürnberger Oper'' (performance criticism) in ''Melos'', volume 36, issue 2, </ref> He was characterized as a "very expressive singing tenor" in his interpretation of Aron.<ref>''Musica: Monatsschrift für alle Gebiete des Musiklebens''; volume 25 (1971), </ref> In 1971 he sang Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg in ''[[Mathis der Maler]]'' (director: Hans-Peter Lehmann; premiere April 1971). In June 1974 followed Desportes in ''[[Die Soldaten]]'' (conductor Hans Gierster, director: Hans-Peter Lehmann). In April 1972 he took part in the Nuremberg premiere of the scenic oratorio of Henze's ''''. In June 1975 he gave a guest performance in this production with the ensemble of the Nuremberg Opera as part of the [[Maggio Musicale Fiorentino]] in the [[Teatro Comunale di Firenze]].
In October 1980 he took over the extensive, difficult part of Görge in the world premiere of Zemlinsky's opera ''[[Der Traumgörge]]''.<ref>[http://bit.ly/2Mfod2W ''"Traumgörge", Zemlinsky, DOBerlin''] Tamino Klassikforum; Eintrag vom 13. June 2007</ref> In 1982 he sang the role of Edmund in the Nuremberg premiere of the opera ''[[Lear (opera)|Lear]]'' (premiere: March 1982).<ref>Klaus Schultz (editor): ''Aribert Reimanns Lear. Way of a New Opera''. Munich 1984. (cast). .</ref> Edmund "characterized Thiemann with cynically cutting tones".<ref>Walter Bronnenmeyer: ''Demontage eines Menschen''; Aufführungskritik in: ''[[Opernwelt]]'', May 1982, .</ref> In December 1982, Oedipus followed in ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' (premiere December 1982; with [[Gail Varina Gilmore]] as Iokaste). In the Nuremberg premiere of the opera ''Baal'' (premiere June 1984) by [[Friedrich Cerha]] he was heard as Fabrikant Mech.<ref> [http://bit.ly/2suTVAd Baal] (cast 1984)</ref> In 1985 he sang the servant Jean in the Nuremberg premiere (January 1985, Nuremberg Kammerspiele) of the opera ''Fräulein Julie'' by [[Antonio Bibalo]].<ref>"Karl-Heinz Thiemann... created with acting and vocal conciseness a fascinatingly dazzling, incomprehensible figure". Performance criticism by Walter Bronnenmeyer: ''Ein kategorischer Harakiri'' in ''[[Opernwelt]]'', March 1985. </ref> In 1986 he assumed the title role in the premiere of Andreas Nick's opera ''Satyros'' (premiere June 1986; Nuremberg, [[Katharinenkirche, Nuremberg]]). In 1988 he was Hans (Gregor's brother) in the premiere of the opera ''Über die Dörfer'' by [[Walter Zimmermann]], next to [[Martha Mödl]] (Premiere June 1988).
=== Premiere roles since 1980 ===
Further premiere roles of Thiemann in the 1980s were among others Graf Elemer in ''[[Arabella]]'' (premiere December 1980; production: , conductor Hans Gierster), Florestan (premiere December 1981, director: Hans Neugebauer; conductor Hans Gierster, alongside Gerlinde Lorenz and Johanna-Lotte Fecht as Leonore; in May 1984 in a gala performance with [[Jeannine Altmeyer]] and chamber singer. Gerd Feldhoff), Lord Arturo Bucklaw in ''[[Lucia di Lammermoor]]'' (staging: Gilbert Deflo; premiere April 1983; in June 1983 also in a gala performance at the opera house Nuremberg with [[José Carreras]]), Bacchus in ''[[Ariadne auf Naxos]]'' (director: Heinz Lukas-Kindermann; premiere May 1986; in June 1986 in a gala performance with Janis Martin), Aegisth in ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' (director: Heinz Lukas-Kindermann; conductor Hans Gierster in his last Nuremberg opera premiere; premiere May 1987; revival in July 1988), Falsacappa in ''[[Les brigands]]'' (premiere: July 1987), Wirt in ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' (director: Heinz-Lukas-Kindermann; conductor: Christian Thielemann; premiere: October 1987; revival: December 1989; in March 1989 in a gala performance with [[Gwyneth Jones (soprano)|Gwyneth Jones]]; for the last time in April 1991, with the always sure high B at the position ''"Your High Princely Grace, the Princess Feldmarschall"'' in the 3rd Symphony; the first performance was in October 1987; the second one in December 1989; in March 1989 in a gala performance with Gwyneth Jones; for the last time in April 1991, with the always sure high B at the position "Her princely mercies, the Princess Feldmarschall" in the 3rd movement) and schoolmaster in ''[[The Cunning Little Vixen]]'' (director: Heinz Lukas-Kindermann; conductor: ; Premiere: December 1987, until the end of the 1987/1988 season)..
In the opening premiere of the 1988/89 season Thiemann sang the title role in ''[[Palestrina (opera)|Palestrina]]'' (premiere: October 1988; revival: April 1989; director: ; musical direction: Christian Thielemann).
Herod followed in ''Salome'' (premiere: January 1990; director: ; conductor: Christian Thielemann; last March 1993), Agrippa von Nettesheim in ''[[The Fiery Angel (opera)|The Fiery Angel]]'' (conductor: ; premiere: March 1994), Alfred in ''[[Die Fledermaus]]'' (premiere: December 1994; last in December 1997), the title role in Haendel's oratorio ''[[Belshazzar (Handel)|Belshazzar]]'' (premiere June 1995, in the [[Stadttheater Fürth]]), again Aegisth in ''Elektra'' (premiere: December 1995; conductor: Eberhard Kloke; stage design and direction: ; last in December 1997) and Koloman Zsupan in ''[[The Gypsy Baron]]'' (premiere: December 1996). He also sang this role in the New Year's Eve performance in December 1997. Thiemann's last premiere as a permanent member of the ensemble in the 1997/98 season was Siegfried in the operetta '''', in a production of the Nuremberg Opera House at the [[Dehnberger Hoftheater]]. (director: ; Premiere: February 1998).
He also sang (as alternative and substitute member): Canio in ''[[Pagliacci]]'' (March 1989-April 1990; conductor Christian Thielemann) and Eléazar in ''[[La Juive]]'' (June 1994–April 1996). Thiemann assumed the role of Eléazar from the third performance of chamber singer .<ref>"Karl-Heinz Thiemann, Nuremberg's heavy heroic tenor for years, fills the figure of the stubborn Jew with the character traits of a strong personality...The singer-actor vividly draws the dazzling portrait of the lonely father....His powerful Wagner voice, matured on Tristan, brings the text vividly over the ramp, yet tastes out the melodic beauties."; Performance criticism by Fritz Schleicher: ''Jewish Passion''; ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 23 June 1994</ref> He then sang with great success all further performances until July 1995. In the revival in February 1996, Thiemann again took on the role of Eléazar; he sang in three of the five performances of the performance series.
== Guest performances ==
Since the mid-1960s Thiemann has performed regularly at various opera houses in Germany and in numerous European music venues.<ref name="Nüs96"/><ref name="Nüs98"/>
He appeared among others on the following stages: [[Hamburgische Staatsoper]] (1965 as Matteo in ''Arabella''; 1967 as painter in ''[[Lulu (opera)|Lulu]]'' alongside [[Anneliese Rothenberger]]; in the 1970s as Herod in the revival of ''Salome'', alongside Gwyneth Jones and [[Bernd Weikl]]; later also as emperor beside Franz-Ferdinand Nentwig as Barak), [[Deutsche Oper Berlin]] (painter in ''Lulu'' beside [[Evelyn Lear]]; Herod in ''Salome'' beside [[Ursula Schröder-Feinen]]; in 1972 as Aron in a performance for the 60th anniversary of his death. Birthday of chamber singer [[Josef Greindl]]), [[Berlin State Opera]] (1979; as Emperor; conductor: [[Ernst Märzendorfer]]), [[Deutsche Oper am Rhein]] (Prince/Rusalka; Florestan, Walther von Stolzing), [[Stuttgart State Opera]] (1967/68 season, as Matteo; later also as Aegisth at a guest performance of the Nuremberg Opera), (1967/68 season in total), [[Stuttgart State Opera]] (1967/68 season in total). 15 performances as Ritter Hugo von Ringstetten in ''Undine''; season 1974/75 as Kaiser), [[Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe]] (first season 1964/65 as Florestan; later there 1967/68 as Hugo, 1975 as Prinz/Rusalka, later also as Kaiser with [[Christof Prick]] as conductor and as Walther von Stolzing), [[Staatstheater Wiesbaden]] (Lohengrin, Herodes), [[Bavarian State Opera]] (April 1971: guest performance of the Nuremberg Opera with ''Moses and Aron'') and [[Kiel Opera House]] (1986/87 season as Bacchus).
At the [[Wiener Staatsoper]] he was engaged as the cover for Sven-Olof Eliasson's new production of ''Moses and Aron'' (1973/74 season; WA 1976); in February 1975, together with [[Karl-Walter Böhm]], he took over Lohengrin at short notice as a substitute for an act in order to save the performance.
At the festivals in [[Nice]] in 1965 he sang Matteo in ''Arabella'' beside (title role) and (as Zdenka). He appeared in Rome (June 1971, in a concertante performance of the opera ''Salome'', conductor [[Zubin Mehta]]), Milan (concertante performance of the opera ''Moses and Aron'' with Josef Greindl), Trieste (Teatro Comunale Trieste, January 1971 as painter in ''Lulu'' with Maria Michels in the title role), Barcelona (1967 as painter in ''Lulu''); later, in the 1970s as Walther von Stolzing), Bilbao (concertante performance of 1st act ''[[The Valkyrie]]'' and act 3 ''Lohengrin'') and Bucharest (as Lohengrin; at the beginning of the 1970s in the first complete Wagner performance in Romania since the Second World War).
In 1977 he made a guest appearance in the USA, as Walther von Stolzing in ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' in Portland at the Portland Summer Opera; his German-speaking partners in an otherwise American cast were Manfred Schenk as Hans Sachs and as Beckmesser.
In December 1992/January 1993 he performed as Aegisth at the Flemish Opera (De Vlaamse Opera) in Antwerp in a new musical production of the opera ''Elektra''. He "created Aegisth with an intact Heldentenor and was much ahead of many of his colleagues in this role.<ref>Karl Martyniak (editor): OPERAdat. Interpreten-Lexikon. Sängerlexikon. 2. Auflage Düsseldorf 1998</ref><ref>''Elektra''. Aufführungskritik von Thomas Tillmann in: ''Orpheus''. Ausgabe 3/1993; </ref>
== Concert repertoire ==
Thiemann's singing career focused on opera, but he also regularly played concert roles.
His repertoire included: [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)]] (Dortmund, Koblenz, Frankfurt am Main, most recently in January 1996<ref name="Nüs96"/> in Nuremberg), ''[[Das Lied von der Erde]]'' (April 1971 in [[Triest]], with [[Maureen Forrester]]; conductor: Hans Gierster; Nuremberg) and ''[[Die Jakobsleiter]]'' (1975; Florence as part of the Maggio Musicale and Nuremberg; conductor: Hans Gierster).
1971 he sang in Nuremberg in the European premiere of the ''Kosmogonia'' for solos (soprano, tenor, bass), mixed choir and orchestra by [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] (with Sonja Poot, soprano; [[Kurt Moll]], bass). In April 1998 he interpreted in a concert of the the ''Musikalische Exequien'' by [[Heinrich Schütz]].<ref name="Nüs98"/><ref>[http://bit.ly/2Meg92K ''Dem Tod entgegen'']. Concert review by Jens Voskmp. in: ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 14 April 1998</ref> In December 1998 he was soloist at a pre-Christmas concert in the St.Andreas-Kirche in [[Kalchreuth]]; he sang among others lieder by [[Richard Trunk]] and [[Peter Cornelius]].<ref>''Weihnachtliches Konzert''. Konzertkritik in: ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 4 December 1998</ref>
== Retirement ==
Thiemann retired from the Nuremberg Ensemble at the end of the 1997/98 season in July 1998 due to his age. He was appointed an honorary member of the Nuremberg Opera House.<ref name="Voskamp"/> Thus Thiemann's long-standing commitment as chairman of the staff council and chairman of the [[Guild of the German Stage]] was also confirmed. (Cooperative of German Stage Members GDBA).<ref name="Voskamp"/>
He then continued to appear as a guest at the Nuremberg Opera House: in the revival of the operetta ''Die lustigen Nibelungen'' in October 1998 (again at the Dehnberger Hoftheater), as a lieutenant in ''[[Doktor Faust]]'' (1998/1999 season, premiere: November 1998; until June 1999) and as Ulrich Eißlinger in ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (premiere: April 2000; revival: June 2004). In July 2004 he stood as Ulrich Eißlinger for the last time on the stage of the Nuremberg Opera House. <ref>[http://bit.ly/2suU4Uh ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''] (Städtische Bühnen Nürnberg; cast on 4/11 July 2004)</ref> Thiemann had his last public appearance as a singer at the Nuremberg Opera House in March 2006 as part of the series of events "Das rote Sofa" in the Gluck Hall of the Opera House; he sang the lied ''"Zueignung"'' by Richard Strauss with piano accompaniment.
Thiemann lives, meanwhile largely withdrawn, in [[Kalchreuth]] near Nuremberg.
== Recordings ==
In June 1971 Thiemann sang Herod in a concert performance in Rome in the opera ''Salome''; his partners were [[Montserrat Caballé]] (title role) and [[Zubin Mehta]] (conductor). The recording was made by the [[Radiotelevisione Italiana]] and later released on CD.<ref>[http://bit.ly/2MhvW0M ''Salome''] Diskografie</ref>
The premiere of the opera ''Doktor Faustus'', with Thiemann in the small role of Lieutenant, was broadcast in November 1998 on the radio programme of [[Bayerischer Rundfunk]] and broadcast live on [[Arte]].<ref>[http://bit.ly/2sw5LKE ''Doktor Faustus''] Sound and film documents</ref><ref>[http://bit.ly/2MbpjNr ''Opera Nuremberg: Doktor Faust vereint Oper und Theater'''] Performance criticism</ref> In February 1999 ''Doctor Faustus'' was recorded by [[Bayerischer Rundfunk]] and broadcast on [[Bayerisches Fernsehen]].
There exist live recordings by Thiemann from the Nuremberg Opera House (''Meistersinger, Parsifal, Tannhäuser, Tristan, Palestrina'') as well as private recordings.
== References ==
== External links ==
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Münster]]
[[Category:German operatic tenors]]
[[Category:Heldentenors]]
[[Category:20th-century German singers]]
== Career ==
=== Origin and education ===
Thiemann was born in [[Münsterland]] from a musical family.<ref name="Augustin">Siegfried Augustin: ''Karl-Heinz Thiemann. Ein Porträt des Künstlers in einigen seiner großen Rollen'' (CD-Booklet; 2008).</ref> He worked as a railway official and first appeared as a soloist at various singing clubs.<ref name="Augustin"/> After a successful audition, he studied singing at the Dortmund Conservatory from 1956 to 1961, majoring in voice with [[Rudolf Watzke]] and at the [[Musikhochschule Köln]] with Dietger Jakob.<ref name="Lohengrin">''Wir stellen vor: Karl-Heinz Thiemann''. In: Programmheft und Besetzungszettel zur Oper ''Lohengrin''; Aufführung vom 5 July 1980 ([[Staatstheater Nürnberg]])</ref><ref name="Nüs96">Programmheft Neujahrskonzert der Nürnberger Symphoniker 1996 vo 5./6. January 1996, .</ref><ref name="Nüs98">Programmheft Hans-Sachs-Chor Nürnberg vom 10. April 1998</ref> During his studies he already sang the tenor part in Verdi's [[Requiem (Verdi)|Requiem]] in [[Dortmund]] in a performance by students of the conservatory.
=== Early years ===
He had his first firm engagement (as "lyric tenor and intermediate tenor") at the .<ref name="Lohengrin"/> There he made his debut 1961 as Florestan in ''[[Fidelio]]''.<ref name="Augustin"/><ref name="Lohengrin"/> In his first season he sang there altogether six different professional roles: among others Alvaro in ''[[La forza del destino]]'', Turiddu in ''[[Cavalleria rusticana]]'', Rinuccio in ''[[Gianni Schicchi]]'' and Ernesto in ''[[Don Pasquale]]''. In his second season in 1962/1963 he took over Belmonte in ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]'' (1963), Max in ''[[Der Freischütz]]'' (1963) for the first time and the title role in ''[[Lohengrin]]'' for the first time (along with Edeltraud Blanke as Elsa von Brabant). As Max he was also a guest at the during his time in Koblenz.
A further firm engagement followed from 1965 to 1968 as "Jugendlicher Heldentenor" at the [[Aalto Theatre]].<ref name="Lohengrin"/> There he took over youthfully dramatic roles like the title role in ''[[Andrea Chénier]]'' and Hugo von Ringstetten in ''[[Undine (Lortzing)|Undine]]''.
=== Permanent engagement at the Nuremberg Opera House ===
In the 1965/66 season, Thiemann made a guest appearance in April 1966 for the first time as a substitute at the [[Staatstheater Nürnberg]], as Hoffmann in the opera ''[[The Tales of Hoffmann]]''.<ref name="Lohengrin"/> Thereupon he was engaged by music director, as a guest for the title role in ''[[Don Carlos]]'' (1966, with [[Janis Martin (soprano)|Janis Martin]] as Princess Eboli) to the opera house Nuremberg.<ref name="Lohengrin"/> Since the 1968/69 season, Thiemann has been a permanent member of the Nuremberg Opera House until his retirement at the end of the 1997/98 season.<ref>''Staatstheater Nürnberg''. Nürnberg 2005, , </ref> There, he was one of the "pillars of the house" for decades.<ref>''Staatstheater Nürnberg''. Nürnberg 2005, , </ref> Thiemann's first role in Nuremberg was the title role in ''[[Othello]]'' (premiere: December 1968, with [[Catarina Ligendza]] as Desdemona). Later he sang this role again in another Nuremberg ''Othello'' new production. (Premiere: April 1978; director: with as Desdemona).
Thiemann sang all specialist roles as the young hero tenor in Nuremberg, later he successively included numerous large [[Heldentenor]] roles in his repertoire. Thiemann also sang the role of the heavy character tenor at the Nuremberg Opera House.
In 1970 he appeared in Nuremberg for the first time in the role of Max in ''Der Freischütz'' (director: ). In a production by [[Peter Beauvais]], he took on the role of Max again in a new production at the Nuremberg Opera in 1980 (premiere: April 1980; conductor: Hans Gierster. Thiemann sang this role continuously until 1986, in addition in the revival further from November 1988 to June 1989). In September 1971 he sang Herodes in ''[[Salome (opera)|Salome]]]'' for the first time in Nuremberg (among others with [[Claudia Hellmann]] and [[Astrid Varnay]] as Herodias). Further roles of Thiemann in the 1970s were Kaiser in ''[[Die Frau ohne Schatten]]'' (1973; director: Hans-Peter Lehmann, conductor: Hans Gierster, with [[Astrid Varnay]] as Amme), Dimitri in ''[[Boris Godunov (opera)|Boris Godunov]]'' (1973/74 season; with [[Dunja Vejzović]] as Marina and Astrid Varnay as Schenkwirtin), Hermann in ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'' (Premiere: October 1975; director: ; musical direction: Hans Gierster), Prinz in ''[[Rusalka (opera)|Rusalka]]'' (Premiere: December 1975; director: , conductor: Hans Gierster), Tichon in ''[[Káťa Kabanová]]'' (1977) and Wladimir in ''[[Prince Igor]]'' (1978).
=== Wagner roles at the Nuremberg Opera House ===
Thiemann was appointed to the Nuremberg Opera House, especially after the retirement of [[Sebastian Feiersinger]] (1975), often used as [[Richard Wagner|Wagnerian tenor]]. At the Nuremberg Opera House he was regarded for decades as the "epitome of the Wagner singer".<ref name="Voskamp">Jens Voskamp: ''Abschied von der Bühne'' in ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 22 July 1998</ref>
In the 1970/71 season he sang Lohengrin for the first time at the Nuremberg Opera House, in a production by Hans-Peter Lehmann; he also took on this role in the revival in July 1980. In the 1989/90 season he sang Lohengrin again in a new production by Ernst A. Klusen, as a cast alongside Thomas Sunnegardh. In May 1991 he appeared for the last time as Lohengrin. In May 1971 Thiemann first sang the role of Walter von Stolzing in ''[[Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg]]'' at the Nuremberg Opera House (director: Hans-Peter Lehmann; revival 1981). From 1986 to 1989 he again took over Stolzing (as house cast next to Wolfgang Fassler in a ''Meistersinger'' new production of ; premiere: November 1986). Last he sang the Stolzing in May 1989.
In December 1977 he first sang Erik in ''[[The Flying Dutchman]]'' (conductor: Hans Gierster; director: [[Luca Ronconi]]; on his first directing debut in Germany). He later took over the role of Erik again in the 1992/1993 season, from April 1993 in the title role alongside , and in the revivals in 1994 and 1996. In April 1994 he also sang Erik in the farewell performance of Nuremberg soprano Ursula Wendt Walther. In July 1996 he last appeared as Erik.
In 1978 he took over the lodge in ''[[Das Rheingold]]'' (premiere July 1978; director , conductor Hans Gierster) in the Nuremberg Ring Cycle, which was broken off afterwards for cost reasons. In February 1983 he first sang the title role in ''[[Parsifal]]'' (director [[Gert Westphal]]; musical direction: Hans Gierster). In October 1983 he made his debut as Siegmund in ''[[Die Walküre]]'' (premiere October 1983; director: ; musical direction: Hans Gierster).
In the course of his career at the Nuremberg Opera, Thiemann later developed the great heroic tenor roles in Wagner under the conductor [[Christian Thielemann]]: the title roles in ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' (premiere October 1990 until December 1991) and ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'' (premiere March 1992; last in June 1993). During his time as general music director in Nuremberg, Thielemann used Thiemann in numerous major main roles, especially in operas by [[Richard Wagner]], [[Richard Strauss]] and [[Hans Pfitzner]].
=== Commitment to modernity ===
During his career, Thiemann took over again and again also parts from the area of the modern age. He was particularly interested in the music of the 20th century. Thiemann's strong affinity to modern music was also evident in the clarity of his words and his creative power.
In the 1970/71 season (premiere December 1970) Thiemann sang Aron in ''[[Moses and Aron]]''. Thiemann's "ariose eloquence" was emphasized in reviews.<ref>''"Moses and Aron" - Glanzstück der Nürnberger Oper'' (performance criticism) in ''Melos'', volume 36, issue 2, </ref> He was characterized as a "very expressive singing tenor" in his interpretation of Aron.<ref>''Musica: Monatsschrift für alle Gebiete des Musiklebens''; volume 25 (1971), </ref> In 1971 he sang Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg in ''[[Mathis der Maler]]'' (director: Hans-Peter Lehmann; premiere April 1971). In June 1974 followed Desportes in ''[[Die Soldaten]]'' (conductor Hans Gierster, director: Hans-Peter Lehmann). In April 1972 he took part in the Nuremberg premiere of the scenic oratorio of Henze's ''''. In June 1975 he gave a guest performance in this production with the ensemble of the Nuremberg Opera as part of the [[Maggio Musicale Fiorentino]] in the [[Teatro Comunale di Firenze]].
In October 1980 he took over the extensive, difficult part of Görge in the world premiere of Zemlinsky's opera ''[[Der Traumgörge]]''.<ref>[http://bit.ly/2Mfod2W ''"Traumgörge", Zemlinsky, DOBerlin''] Tamino Klassikforum; Eintrag vom 13. June 2007</ref> In 1982 he sang the role of Edmund in the Nuremberg premiere of the opera ''[[Lear (opera)|Lear]]'' (premiere: March 1982).<ref>Klaus Schultz (editor): ''Aribert Reimanns Lear. Way of a New Opera''. Munich 1984. (cast). .</ref> Edmund "characterized Thiemann with cynically cutting tones".<ref>Walter Bronnenmeyer: ''Demontage eines Menschen''; Aufführungskritik in: ''[[Opernwelt]]'', May 1982, .</ref> In December 1982, Oedipus followed in ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' (premiere December 1982; with [[Gail Varina Gilmore]] as Iokaste). In the Nuremberg premiere of the opera ''Baal'' (premiere June 1984) by [[Friedrich Cerha]] he was heard as Fabrikant Mech.<ref> [http://bit.ly/2suTVAd Baal] (cast 1984)</ref> In 1985 he sang the servant Jean in the Nuremberg premiere (January 1985, Nuremberg Kammerspiele) of the opera ''Fräulein Julie'' by [[Antonio Bibalo]].<ref>"Karl-Heinz Thiemann... created with acting and vocal conciseness a fascinatingly dazzling, incomprehensible figure". Performance criticism by Walter Bronnenmeyer: ''Ein kategorischer Harakiri'' in ''[[Opernwelt]]'', March 1985. </ref> In 1986 he assumed the title role in the premiere of Andreas Nick's opera ''Satyros'' (premiere June 1986; Nuremberg, [[Katharinenkirche, Nuremberg]]). In 1988 he was Hans (Gregor's brother) in the premiere of the opera ''Über die Dörfer'' by [[Walter Zimmermann]], next to [[Martha Mödl]] (Premiere June 1988).
=== Premiere roles since 1980 ===
Further premiere roles of Thiemann in the 1980s were among others Graf Elemer in ''[[Arabella]]'' (premiere December 1980; production: , conductor Hans Gierster), Florestan (premiere December 1981, director: Hans Neugebauer; conductor Hans Gierster, alongside Gerlinde Lorenz and Johanna-Lotte Fecht as Leonore; in May 1984 in a gala performance with [[Jeannine Altmeyer]] and chamber singer. Gerd Feldhoff), Lord Arturo Bucklaw in ''[[Lucia di Lammermoor]]'' (staging: Gilbert Deflo; premiere April 1983; in June 1983 also in a gala performance at the opera house Nuremberg with [[José Carreras]]), Bacchus in ''[[Ariadne auf Naxos]]'' (director: Heinz Lukas-Kindermann; premiere May 1986; in June 1986 in a gala performance with Janis Martin), Aegisth in ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' (director: Heinz Lukas-Kindermann; conductor Hans Gierster in his last Nuremberg opera premiere; premiere May 1987; revival in July 1988), Falsacappa in ''[[Les brigands]]'' (premiere: July 1987), Wirt in ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' (director: Heinz-Lukas-Kindermann; conductor: Christian Thielemann; premiere: October 1987; revival: December 1989; in March 1989 in a gala performance with [[Gwyneth Jones (soprano)|Gwyneth Jones]]; for the last time in April 1991, with the always sure high B at the position ''"Your High Princely Grace, the Princess Feldmarschall"'' in the 3rd Symphony; the first performance was in October 1987; the second one in December 1989; in March 1989 in a gala performance with Gwyneth Jones; for the last time in April 1991, with the always sure high B at the position "Her princely mercies, the Princess Feldmarschall" in the 3rd movement) and schoolmaster in ''[[The Cunning Little Vixen]]'' (director: Heinz Lukas-Kindermann; conductor: ; Premiere: December 1987, until the end of the 1987/1988 season)..
In the opening premiere of the 1988/89 season Thiemann sang the title role in ''[[Palestrina (opera)|Palestrina]]'' (premiere: October 1988; revival: April 1989; director: ; musical direction: Christian Thielemann).
Herod followed in ''Salome'' (premiere: January 1990; director: ; conductor: Christian Thielemann; last March 1993), Agrippa von Nettesheim in ''[[The Fiery Angel (opera)|The Fiery Angel]]'' (conductor: ; premiere: March 1994), Alfred in ''[[Die Fledermaus]]'' (premiere: December 1994; last in December 1997), the title role in Haendel's oratorio ''[[Belshazzar (Handel)|Belshazzar]]'' (premiere June 1995, in the [[Stadttheater Fürth]]), again Aegisth in ''Elektra'' (premiere: December 1995; conductor: Eberhard Kloke; stage design and direction: ; last in December 1997) and Koloman Zsupan in ''[[The Gypsy Baron]]'' (premiere: December 1996). He also sang this role in the New Year's Eve performance in December 1997. Thiemann's last premiere as a permanent member of the ensemble in the 1997/98 season was Siegfried in the operetta '''', in a production of the Nuremberg Opera House at the [[Dehnberger Hoftheater]]. (director: ; Premiere: February 1998).
He also sang (as alternative and substitute member): Canio in ''[[Pagliacci]]'' (March 1989-April 1990; conductor Christian Thielemann) and Eléazar in ''[[La Juive]]'' (June 1994–April 1996). Thiemann assumed the role of Eléazar from the third performance of chamber singer .<ref>"Karl-Heinz Thiemann, Nuremberg's heavy heroic tenor for years, fills the figure of the stubborn Jew with the character traits of a strong personality...The singer-actor vividly draws the dazzling portrait of the lonely father....His powerful Wagner voice, matured on Tristan, brings the text vividly over the ramp, yet tastes out the melodic beauties."; Performance criticism by Fritz Schleicher: ''Jewish Passion''; ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 23 June 1994</ref> He then sang with great success all further performances until July 1995. In the revival in February 1996, Thiemann again took on the role of Eléazar; he sang in three of the five performances of the performance series.
== Guest performances ==
Since the mid-1960s Thiemann has performed regularly at various opera houses in Germany and in numerous European music venues.<ref name="Nüs96"/><ref name="Nüs98"/>
He appeared among others on the following stages: [[Hamburgische Staatsoper]] (1965 as Matteo in ''Arabella''; 1967 as painter in ''[[Lulu (opera)|Lulu]]'' alongside [[Anneliese Rothenberger]]; in the 1970s as Herod in the revival of ''Salome'', alongside Gwyneth Jones and [[Bernd Weikl]]; later also as emperor beside Franz-Ferdinand Nentwig as Barak), [[Deutsche Oper Berlin]] (painter in ''Lulu'' beside [[Evelyn Lear]]; Herod in ''Salome'' beside [[Ursula Schröder-Feinen]]; in 1972 as Aron in a performance for the 60th anniversary of his death. Birthday of chamber singer [[Josef Greindl]]), [[Berlin State Opera]] (1979; as Emperor; conductor: [[Ernst Märzendorfer]]), [[Deutsche Oper am Rhein]] (Prince/Rusalka; Florestan, Walther von Stolzing), [[Stuttgart State Opera]] (1967/68 season, as Matteo; later also as Aegisth at a guest performance of the Nuremberg Opera), (1967/68 season in total), [[Stuttgart State Opera]] (1967/68 season in total). 15 performances as Ritter Hugo von Ringstetten in ''Undine''; season 1974/75 as Kaiser), [[Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe]] (first season 1964/65 as Florestan; later there 1967/68 as Hugo, 1975 as Prinz/Rusalka, later also as Kaiser with [[Christof Prick]] as conductor and as Walther von Stolzing), [[Staatstheater Wiesbaden]] (Lohengrin, Herodes), [[Bavarian State Opera]] (April 1971: guest performance of the Nuremberg Opera with ''Moses and Aron'') and [[Kiel Opera House]] (1986/87 season as Bacchus).
At the [[Wiener Staatsoper]] he was engaged as the cover for Sven-Olof Eliasson's new production of ''Moses and Aron'' (1973/74 season; WA 1976); in February 1975, together with [[Karl-Walter Böhm]], he took over Lohengrin at short notice as a substitute for an act in order to save the performance.
At the festivals in [[Nice]] in 1965 he sang Matteo in ''Arabella'' beside (title role) and (as Zdenka). He appeared in Rome (June 1971, in a concertante performance of the opera ''Salome'', conductor [[Zubin Mehta]]), Milan (concertante performance of the opera ''Moses and Aron'' with Josef Greindl), Trieste (Teatro Comunale Trieste, January 1971 as painter in ''Lulu'' with Maria Michels in the title role), Barcelona (1967 as painter in ''Lulu''); later, in the 1970s as Walther von Stolzing), Bilbao (concertante performance of 1st act ''[[The Valkyrie]]'' and act 3 ''Lohengrin'') and Bucharest (as Lohengrin; at the beginning of the 1970s in the first complete Wagner performance in Romania since the Second World War).
In 1977 he made a guest appearance in the USA, as Walther von Stolzing in ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' in Portland at the Portland Summer Opera; his German-speaking partners in an otherwise American cast were Manfred Schenk as Hans Sachs and as Beckmesser.
In December 1992/January 1993 he performed as Aegisth at the Flemish Opera (De Vlaamse Opera) in Antwerp in a new musical production of the opera ''Elektra''. He "created Aegisth with an intact Heldentenor and was much ahead of many of his colleagues in this role.<ref>Karl Martyniak (editor): OPERAdat. Interpreten-Lexikon. Sängerlexikon. 2. Auflage Düsseldorf 1998</ref><ref>''Elektra''. Aufführungskritik von Thomas Tillmann in: ''Orpheus''. Ausgabe 3/1993; </ref>
== Concert repertoire ==
Thiemann's singing career focused on opera, but he also regularly played concert roles.
His repertoire included: [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)]] (Dortmund, Koblenz, Frankfurt am Main, most recently in January 1996<ref name="Nüs96"/> in Nuremberg), ''[[Das Lied von der Erde]]'' (April 1971 in [[Triest]], with [[Maureen Forrester]]; conductor: Hans Gierster; Nuremberg) and ''[[Die Jakobsleiter]]'' (1975; Florence as part of the Maggio Musicale and Nuremberg; conductor: Hans Gierster).
1971 he sang in Nuremberg in the European premiere of the ''Kosmogonia'' for solos (soprano, tenor, bass), mixed choir and orchestra by [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] (with Sonja Poot, soprano; [[Kurt Moll]], bass). In April 1998 he interpreted in a concert of the the ''Musikalische Exequien'' by [[Heinrich Schütz]].<ref name="Nüs98"/><ref>[http://bit.ly/2Meg92K ''Dem Tod entgegen'']. Concert review by Jens Voskmp. in: ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 14 April 1998</ref> In December 1998 he was soloist at a pre-Christmas concert in the St.Andreas-Kirche in [[Kalchreuth]]; he sang among others lieder by [[Richard Trunk]] and [[Peter Cornelius]].<ref>''Weihnachtliches Konzert''. Konzertkritik in: ''[[Nürnberger Nachrichten]]'' dated 4 December 1998</ref>
== Retirement ==
Thiemann retired from the Nuremberg Ensemble at the end of the 1997/98 season in July 1998 due to his age. He was appointed an honorary member of the Nuremberg Opera House.<ref name="Voskamp"/> Thus Thiemann's long-standing commitment as chairman of the staff council and chairman of the [[Guild of the German Stage]] was also confirmed. (Cooperative of German Stage Members GDBA).<ref name="Voskamp"/>
He then continued to appear as a guest at the Nuremberg Opera House: in the revival of the operetta ''Die lustigen Nibelungen'' in October 1998 (again at the Dehnberger Hoftheater), as a lieutenant in ''[[Doktor Faust]]'' (1998/1999 season, premiere: November 1998; until June 1999) and as Ulrich Eißlinger in ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (premiere: April 2000; revival: June 2004). In July 2004 he stood as Ulrich Eißlinger for the last time on the stage of the Nuremberg Opera House. <ref>[http://bit.ly/2suU4Uh ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''] (Städtische Bühnen Nürnberg; cast on 4/11 July 2004)</ref> Thiemann had his last public appearance as a singer at the Nuremberg Opera House in March 2006 as part of the series of events "Das rote Sofa" in the Gluck Hall of the Opera House; he sang the lied ''"Zueignung"'' by Richard Strauss with piano accompaniment.
Thiemann lives, meanwhile largely withdrawn, in [[Kalchreuth]] near Nuremberg.
== Recordings ==
In June 1971 Thiemann sang Herod in a concert performance in Rome in the opera ''Salome''; his partners were [[Montserrat Caballé]] (title role) and [[Zubin Mehta]] (conductor). The recording was made by the [[Radiotelevisione Italiana]] and later released on CD.<ref>[http://bit.ly/2MhvW0M ''Salome''] Diskografie</ref>
The premiere of the opera ''Doktor Faustus'', with Thiemann in the small role of Lieutenant, was broadcast in November 1998 on the radio programme of [[Bayerischer Rundfunk]] and broadcast live on [[Arte]].<ref>[http://bit.ly/2sw5LKE ''Doktor Faustus''] Sound and film documents</ref><ref>[http://bit.ly/2MbpjNr ''Opera Nuremberg: Doktor Faust vereint Oper und Theater'''] Performance criticism</ref> In February 1999 ''Doctor Faustus'' was recorded by [[Bayerischer Rundfunk]] and broadcast on [[Bayerisches Fernsehen]].
There exist live recordings by Thiemann from the Nuremberg Opera House (''Meistersinger, Parsifal, Tannhäuser, Tristan, Palestrina'') as well as private recordings.
== References ==
== External links ==
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Münster]]
[[Category:German operatic tenors]]
[[Category:Heldentenors]]
[[Category:20th-century German singers]]
January 16, 2019 at 04:01PM
