2024-02-24 22:28:10
VIENNA / Haus Hofmannsthal:
EXHIBITION FOR THE 115TH BIRTH YEAR OF
KS HANS HOTTER
From January 31, 2024 to June 21, 2024
The many faces of an artist
He was Wotan and more: He was “the” Wotan for decades; from 1946 to 1966 he shaped the image of this (so majestic) figure at the Vienna State Opera alone. And what’s more, he was one of the most versatile artists in his bass field – Hans Hotter (1909-2003), a king if there ever was one. He might be seen regularly in Vienna until the end of the 1970s, and Erich Wirl, known to every opera lover as a tireless collector of autographs, always asked the artist once more for signatures on roll photos (and other pictures of various kinds). The result can now be seen in a wonderful exhibition in Haus Hofmannsthal. Indispensable for opera fans whose memory goes back a little.
By Renate Wagner
Hans Hotter Born on January 19, 1909 in Offenbach am Main, he died on December 6, 2003 in Munich, the city that had become the center of his life. “The greatest Wagner singer of his time is dead,” was the headline in the newspapers following his death, and that’s how everyone who knew him felt. But perhaps his all-powerful Wotan (when he was not yet portrayed as a neurotic criminal on stage, as is now common practice) obscured the view of the artist’s infinite versatility, which went beyond Wagner and also included German and Italian subjects. The Vienna exhibition now provides astonishing insights. They can be found on display boards, which are often dedicated to a role in many different photos, but also in showcases where individual pictures are located. And everyone, everyone with a signature…
Erich Wirl is the man who, in all modesty, has been stocking and delighting Hofmannsthal’s singing exhibitions with his almost endless material for years – because he never left it with a signature, but was always there, accompanying the artists for decades and them also often knew personally.
Not only were private photos taken together, the eternal admirer (investing a fortune in images) also wanted to capture moments of rare value beyond the rolls. That’s why there is also a picture where Hans Hotter became an Austrian Kammersänger quite late (in 1997!) and director Ioan Holender took this opportunity to kneel on the stage in front of Hotter…
From king to criminal Of course he was Wotan, the god and for Wagner he was also the demonic Dutchman, the tragic Marke and the dignified Gurnemanz. In the “Meistersinger” he sang Veit Pogner more often than Hans Sachs…But his repertoire also included Philip II, the unfortunate king in Verdi’s “Don Carlos” (where he also sang the role of the Grand Inquisitor). And his versatility extended to the sleazy, shady Schigolch in Alban Berg’s “Lulu,” which he sang with stars from Evelyn Lear to Anja Silja.
The heroic German profession knew him as Jokanaan, the cheerful one as Sir Morosus, the elegant one as Mandryka. He was ideal as the fearsome Pizarro and the powerful Scarpia. But who would associate his name with Macbeth, Iago, Amonasro and even Falstaff? These and much more are the surprises that visually await the visitor in the exhibition. Memories are awakened, there is always amazement, enthusiasm and admiration. From photo to photo – the great Hans Hotter.
Haus Hofmannsthal:
EXHIBITION FOR THE 115TH BIRTH YEAR OF
KS HANS HOTTER
From January 31, 2024 to June 21, 2024
Opening hours:
Mon to Wed (weekdays) from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m
Thursday and Friday only by prior arrangement
1708828206
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