A mature, humane expression and dramatic, accurate expressions that capture the heart.
Born in Dresden. In 1946, after World War II, he studied vocal music with court singer and tenor Rudolf Dietrich. In 1949, on the recommendation of Keibert, the music director of the Dresden State Opera, he signed a contract with the opera, made his debut as Ravitsky in "Boris Godunov", and began a spectacular career in his hometown of Dresden. In 1952, he performed for the first time at the Bayreuth Festival, the second year after the World War II, and sang the role of Ortel in "The Meistersinger of Nuremberg". After that, he played the roles of King Heinrich in ``Lohengrin'', Sachs in ``Meistersinger of Nuremberg'', Amfiortas in ``Parsifal'', and Hunding in ``Walkyrie'', among others. It received high praise and its name became widely known.
In 1953, he signed a contract with the Berlin Staatsoper, and the following year, he signed a guest performance contract with the Frankfurt Staatsoper, and his career expanded internationally. Since 1967, he has appeared regularly at major opera houses around the world, including the Vienna State Opera, the Hamburg State Opera, and the Bavarian State Opera, and has performed in "Julius Caesar," "Don Giovanni," "The Wandering Dutchman," and "Wozzeck." He continues to be active mainly in the title role of ``. His first visit to Japan was in 1967 as a member of the moving performance of the Bayreuth Festival, where he received rave reviews for his role as Wotan in Die Walküre. Since then, he has frequently visited Japan for operas and recitals, making a strong impression as one of the best in the German opera world.
In 1969, he appeared at the Salzburg Festival and also debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1974, he sang the title role and directed the world premiere of Dessau's "Einstein" at the Berlin State Opera, marking his start as a director. At the Salzburg Festival in 1981, he participated in the world premiere of Zellha's Baal, an original work by Brecht. At the same music festival in 1984, he sang the title role of Berio's "King Listening", and is also ambitiously working on the premiere work. In February 1985, he became president of the management committee of the Dresden State Opera, which was rebuilt for the first time in 40 years, and sang Baron Ox in the opening performance "Rose Knight". Along with opera, he continues to be active at the forefront of the lieto and religious music genres.
Court singer of the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, and Bavaria.