The time of change

The greatest and perhaps most significant singing challenges of my career at the Vienna State Opera were the years under the direction of Dominique Meyer and his General Music Director Franz Welser-Möst.

 

The desire for a change had already been awakened in me ten years ago by my dear friend and patron Marcel Prawy. For a long time I resisted his invitation to switch from the lyric tenor to the Wagnerian fach, to the Heldentenor. There were and are enough warning examples from colleagues. But Prawy's words did not let me go.

 

The first step into the heroic field was the opening of Dominique Meyer's new direction with the opera "Cardillac" by Paul Hindemith. I was grateful to return to the Vienna State Opera after 10 years when I was offered the role of "Officer," a truly heroic leap into the deep end. To sing at the State Opera again after such a long time was an incredible joy, although not without risk. But I had no choice and I sought the challenge.

 

In short, my switch to the heroic role was a great success, and Dominique Meyer soon saw in me his house and heroic tenor, and so until his departure I was allowed to sing extraordinary and great roles at the Vienna State Opera, such as "Bacchus" in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss, "Paul" in Tote Stadt by Erich W. Korngold, the title role in Lohengrin by Richard Wagner, the part of "Peter Grimes" by Benjamin Britten, "Jim Mahoney" in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny by Kurt Weill, "Loge" in Rheingold by Richard Wagner, "Erik" in Der fliegende Holländer by Richard Wagner, "Siegmund" in Die Walküre by Richard Wagner, the Tambourmajor in Wozzeck by Alban Berg and "Alwa" in Lulu by Alban Berg.