100 Greatest Singers: FRIEDRICH SCHORR

THIS PROJECT IS RESERVED ONLY FOR THE GREATEST! Austria-hungarian bass-baritone Schorr one of the greatest? Please comment!

Friedrich Schorr, Bass-Baritone (1889-1953)

Richard Wagner - Der fliegende Holländer (The flying Dutchman)
Die Frist ist um!
(Recorded 1929)

My personal opinion: Friedrich Schorr in his own words: "I´ve sung the role of Hans Sachs more than 170 times. Nevertheless, before every new performance I study the full score anew. I still find something new, not only in the music, also in the character... It´s been said, I have a different intrepretation for Wagner, I would sing him more than to declaim him. In fact, I´m confident, Wagner must be performed in harmony with the melody. I can´t see a difference between the melodic styles of Verdi and Wagner... Don´t blame Wagner for that what is called wrong "Sprechgesang". When I sing Wagner, I try to bound the phrases the same I do with Verdi. It was said, Wagner damaged the voice and still today many people believe that. But german music departured from a tonal adjustment and began with screaming. That´s the reason I defeated to sing Wozzeck".
Friedrich Schorr was not only acclaimed as the greatest Wagner-Baritone in his time but also in history.
Fame is one thing, but I wanted to be sure again. I compared him with Herbert Janssen, Hans Hermann Nissen, Wilhem Rode and Michael Bohnen, and Schorr really did it! Maybe I missed hearing something wrong, but I can´t find anything to criticize. In his monolog from "Holländer" the sound emission is mighty but clear with astonishing flexibility and expressive nuances: Convulsive resignation ("Dies der Verdammnis Schreckgebot") and frightened accentuation ("...mit dem die Welt zusammenkracht"). For "Holländer" Wagner demanded dark and eerie modulation. Hans Hotters performance is belcantesque, Bryn Terfel is ostentatious, James Morris sounded like jealous Otello, George London overacted. In my opinion, Holländer is powerless, without any hope. His monolog should be a mixture of resignation and self-pity, as far as a ghost is qualified to feel this way. Schorr came near.
1923 he first traveled to america, the year after he sang Wolfram at the Metropolitan, where he became a longstanding star with over 400 performances until 1943. It was absurd he couln´t return to germany in consequence of his anchestry. In these disastrous years, germany lost many of his greatest artists.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Friedrich
• Schorr
• Fliegende
• Holländer
• Flying
• Dutchman
• Richard
• Wagner
• Bayreuth
• Baritone

[MrSkylark1]

AN ARTIST SURPASSING ALL THE BASS-BARITONES/BARITONES TODAY who do nothing more than bellow in their attempts to increase the size of their voice which is not only impossible but foolish because the voice will only resonate according to their physiology.

[legatofancier]

Wagner with a true legato! Fabulous! Thank heaven Schorr escaped Germany! What could have been left there for him after the Holocaust? How i wish I cold have heard him live! How I wish I could hear Wagner sung this way today!

[odnoforpb]

Schorr's actual birthyear was 1888.

Friedrich Schorr was indeed a very great artist. He and Rudolf Bockelmann were the two greatest Wagner baritones of the 1920-1945 era, and two of the most magnificent Wagner baritones of all time. Schorr's voice did not record particularly well (Bockelmann's recorded better), but one can still discern from this recording of the Dutchman's monologue the greatness of the voice and of the vocal artist. O tempores! O mores!

[Agorante]

Sorry, I don't hear it - never did. To me Schorr is only average, not great. I heard Morris in this role at Covent Garden. Morris is better. I heard London live several times but alas not in this role. But on records London is vastly better. Terfel has a much prettier basic sound and I forgive him his ocassional excesses. Schorr is short on both the top and the bottom. Nentwig was better in these roles, as was Van Dam. Schorr isn't a top 100 singer.

[stuartliff]

Growing up in the 30s, Schorr's recordings were my constant diet. I stupidly expected to hear something approaching this standard when Covent Garden opened again after the war. Vain hope. We will never hear his like again. He was a true vocal God and totally unique. Better even than the bass baritones of Wagner's own time. Can anyone suggest a finer Sachs, Dutchman, Wotan etc.? Vivian

[mozart200657]

One can here the real wagnerian LEGATO liste...today, this exists no more...only cries!

[stevevandien]

Thank you, my friend.  Do you happen to recall the date of this ON? If not, no biggie; I trust your judgment:) --

[stevevandien]

Thanks very much:) --

[MrCafiero]

Right, and he talks about it in that article in Opera News. I am sure he also studied with some other people as well along the way.

You are SO FORTUNATE to have heard him in person. It must have been tremendous!!!

[courthousedoc]

I was a student at Hartt in the early to mid 70's and MacNeil gave a talk to the voice and opera students (and sang Si Puo and Nemico della Patria). I remember distinctly in the talk that he did talk about studying with Friedrich Schorr.