Having heard Mr. Wächter at Bayreuth as Amfortas in “Parsifal,” as Kothner in “Die Meistersinger,” and as the Heerrufer in “Lohengrin” (in all of which roles he was superb) I knew that he would be a distinguished Wolfram. And so he proved to be. His handsome appearance, his impeccable diction, his eloquent and finished singing made a profound impression. He is not one of the operatic Bulls of Bashan. His voice does not make the rafters tremble or the standees scream with excitement. But it is ample for all artistic needs and he uses it with the utmost intelligence and expressiveness. Would that we had more of his kind!
Born on this day in 1963 tenor Marcello Giordani.
Triple operatic premiere day: Rossini’s La Cenerentola in Rome (1817), Bellini’s I Puritani in Paris (1835) and Richard Strauss’ Elektra in Dresden (1909).Birthday anniversary of conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886).
