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Peter Seiffert

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Peter Seiffert
Seiffert at a charity concert, 1986
Born(1954-01-04)4 January 1954
Düsseldorf, West Germany
Died14 April 2025(2025-04-14) (aged 71)
Schleedorf, Austria
OccupationOperatic tenor
Organizations
TitleKammersänger
AwardsGrammy Award

Peter Seiffert (4 January 1954 – 14 April 2025) was a German tenor. He was based at the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1980. Götz Friedrich in Berlin and Wolfgang Sawallisch at the Bavarian State Opera supported the development of his voice from lyric Mozart roles to portraying characters in Wagner's stage works such as Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and Tristan with a light lyric tenor voice of Italian timbre. He performed at international opera houses such as the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and at festivals including the Bayreuth Festival.

Life and career

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Born in Düsseldorf on 4 January 1954,[1] his father Helmut Seiffert was an opera singer and composer of Schlager. Seiffert sang in a boys' choir, sometimes as a soloist.[2] He studied at the Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf,[3] especially with M. Röhrig.[2][4] He also pursued training as a physical therapist.[2]

Seiffert made his debut in 1978 at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein[1] in Reimann's Lear.[3] He remained a member of the ensemble for two seasons. In 1979, he achieved a second place in the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb.[3]

Deutsche Oper Berlin

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Seiffert became a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1980,[5] where his roles included Lenski in Tchaikovsky's Eugen Onegin, Hans in Smetana's Die verkaufte Braut and Hüon in Weber's Oberon.[1] He appeared as Matteo In Arabella by R. Strauss in 1982, followed by Mozart's Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. He expanded his repertoire by the title role in Gounod's Faust, and roles by Albert Lortzing and Leoš Janáček.[6] Intendant Götz Friedrich developed him gradually to a lyric-dramatic tenor who also sang heldentenor roles; he portrayed Verdi's Otello and Pedro in d'Albert's Tiefland.[6]

It was Lohengrin in Berlin in 1990 which marked his international breakthrough.[7] Reviewer Klaus Geitel [de] described it as a "Weltereignis des Wagner-Gesangs", a world event in Wagner singing, because the singer provided the "blue-silvery radiance" that Thomas Mann had admired, possible due to his light lyric tenor with an Italian timbre and a controlled vibrato.[3] He portrayed Tristan there in 2002, and a reviewer noted that he "mastered the role brilliantly, not with the means of the dark-voiced hero, but with a slender, luminous voice", but missed a metaphysical dimension of dream and grief.[3] In 2003 a recording of Tannhäuser with Daniel Barenboim and Seiffert in the title role was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.[4] His last appearance at the house was as Tannhäuser in 2019. He had interpreted 26 roles in over 300 performances, and became an honorary member of the company in 2024.[6]

Bavarian State Opera

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Seiffert developed a close relation to the Bavarian State Opera where he first appeared in 1983 as Fenton in Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor.[7] With musical director Wolfgang Sawallisch, he began in Mozart roles such as Tamino and Don Ottavio and then appeared as Nureddin in Der Barbier von Bagdad,[7] his first recognised success.[3] Sawallisch was the first to engage him as Lohengrin,[7] in 1989.[3] He went on to sing other Wagner roles there, Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, the title role in Tannhäuser, Siegmund in Die Walküre, Tristan, Walther von Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Parsifal. He also appeared there as Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio, Max in Weber's Der Freischütz and Verdi's Otello.[7] He performed in Munich and on tours with the ensemble to Japan in 150 performances, and also in recitals and concerts. He was named a Bavarian Kammersänger in 1992.[7]

Vienna State Opera

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Seiffert made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1984 as Matteo in Arabella.[1][6][8] He appeared then as Hans, and in Wagner roles Erik, Lohengrin, Walther von Stolzing, Siegmund, Parsifal, Tannhäuser and Tristan[8] in 2013 in a new production that was recorded live, with Nina Stemme as Isolde and Franz Welser-Möst conducting.[9] His roles at the house also included Tamino, Max, Turiddu in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Otello. He portrayed Florestan 25 times. In 2013 he was named Austrian Kammersänger.[8]

International performances

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Seiffert appeared at the Royal Opera House in London first in 1988 as Parsifal.[3] In the 1992 opening of the new opera house in Nagoya, Japan, he performed as the Emperor in Die Frau ohne Schatten by R. Strauss. He appeared at the 1994 Salzburg Festival as Don Ottavio.[1] He appeared at the 1994 Salzburg Festival as Don Ottavio.[1] He performed as Tannhäuser at the Zürich Opera in 1999.[3]

Seiffert made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera (Met) as Tannhäuser in 2004, with Deborah Voigt as Elisabeth and Mark Elder conducting in a 1977 production by Otto Schenk.[10] Fred Cohn from Opera News noted:

All evening long, it was a revelation to hear the role sung with such security and stamina. Seiffert brought the same freshness of voice to the Rome Narrative at the end as he did to the three successive paeans to Venus at the beginning. The voice is not intrinsically beautiful - it betrays a hint of nasality - but it's an instrument of true Wagnerian heft, with easy access to the crucial climactic notes above the staff.[11]

Anthony Tommasini from the New York Times described him as an "imposing and charismatic Tannhäuser" with Wagnerian power but also technically agility.[10] Seiffert appeared again as Tristan in 2008, in Barenboim's debut at the house.[12]

Bayreuth

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Seiffert established a career at the Bayreuth Festival, regularly appearing from 1996 as Stolzing[3] and from 2001 as Lohengrin, which he last performed in 2005 with his wife as Elsa.[4]

Personal life

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In 1986, Seiffert married the soprano Lucia Popp, 15 years his senior. Popp died in 1993, after which he married the Austrian soprano Petra-Maria Schnitzer [de].[7]

Seiffert died following a long illness on 14 April 2025 in Schleedorf, Salzburg, Austria, at the age of 71.[13][14][15]

Awards

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Recordings

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Recordings with Seiffert include:

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kutsch, K.-J.; Riemens, Leo (2012). "Seiffert, Peter". Großes Sängerlexikon (in German) (4th ed.). De Gruyter. pp. 4339–4340. ISBN 978-3-59-844088-5.
  2. ^ a b c "Peter Seiffert". Munzinger Archiv (in German). 2017. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kesting, Jürgen (16 April 2025). "Man steckt den Tristan nicht einfach weg". FAZ (in German). Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Peter Seiffert". Bayreuth Festival (in German). 2025. Archived from the original on 9 November 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Peter Seiffert". Deutsche Oper Berlin (in German). 2014. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d "We mourn the loss of our honorary member, Kammersänger Peter Seiffert". Deutsche Oper Berlin (in German). 15 April 2025. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Krasting, Malte (April 2025). "Zum Tod von Peter Seiffert". Bavarian State Opera (in German). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  8. ^ a b c "Peter Seiffert wird als Berliner Kammersänger geehrt". Vienna State Opera (in German). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  9. ^ a b Thompson, Simon (August 2022). "Richard Wagner (1813-1883) / Tristan und Isolde". musicweb-international.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  10. ^ a b Tommasini, Anthony (20 November 2004). "Agility and Wagnerian Power in a Belated Debut". FAZ. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  11. ^ Cohn, Fred (February 2005). "Tannhäuser Review". Opera News. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  12. ^ Braun, William R. (February 2009). "Tristan und Isolde Review". Opera News. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  13. ^ Herrmann, Hubertus (15 April 2025). "Zum Tod von Peter Seiffert!". Bayreuth Festival (in German). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Deutscher Tenor Peter Seiffert (1954-2025) verstorben". Die Presse (in German). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  15. ^ "Opernsänger Peter Seiffert ist tot". ORF (in German). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Preisträger:innen". Deutscher Musikwettbewerb (in German). Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Peter Seiffert". GRAMMY.com. 17 October 2024. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Klassik-Grammy Nur eine Auszeichnung für deutsche Künstler". Stern (in German). 18 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014.
  19. ^ Schenke, Johannes (15 April 2025). "Wiener Staatsoper: Tristan und Isolde / Hochdramatisches – in lyrischer Schönheit". Der neue Merker (in German). Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  20. ^ "Peter Seiffert wird als Berliner Kammersänger geehrt". Die Welt (in German). 15 April 2025. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  21. ^ Parr, Mike (March 2024). "Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) / Oberon". musicweb-international.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  22. ^ Levine, Robert. "Tannhauser – Barenboim -Teldec C". Classics Today. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  23. ^ Geffen, Dalia (15 April 2025). "Peter Seiffert: A Tannhäuser to Be Reckoned With". Boston Wagner Society. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
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