Born: Born: July 8, 1920 - Traismauer, Austria
Died: December 21, 1988 - Herzogenburg, Austria |
The Austrian bass-baritone, Harald Pröglhöf, received his training at the Vienna’s Musikakademie, where he was mainly pupil of Hermann Gallos. In 1948 he was winner at the Concurs of Scheveningen.
In the same year Harald Pröglhöf became a member of the Vienna State Opera, at which he sang in and worked until 1978 over one hundred, mostly middle and smaller roles, as the repertoire of the house in each case required. The roles for which he should be remembered are Hermann Ortel in Meistersingern, Alcindor in Puccini’s La Bohème, Ping in Turandot, Antonio in W.A. Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Rodrigo in Verdi’s Othello, Fra Melitone in La forza del destino, in addition, roles like Masetto and Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Papageno in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Heerrufer in Lohengrin.
Harald Pröglhöf also participated at the Festival of Salzburg, thus in 1951 in Wozzeck by Alban Berg, in 1952 in the premiere of the Richard Strauss’ opera Die Liebe der Danaë (August 1952). Since 1950 he appeared in Salzburg also in concerts, such as in 1950 as soloist in the Mass in F minor of A. Bruckner. In 1952 he appeared as a guest at Milan’s La Scala in Meistersingern, and in 1953 with the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera at the Grand Opéra in Paris. As a concert singer he had a high reputation for many outstanding renditions of the small parts he sang.
Recordings: On Decca he can be heard as Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro under Erich Kleiber, in Rosenkavalier, in Arabella, in Die Frau ohne Schatten and in Salome by R. Strauss, on Columbia in Die Zauberflöte and in Rosenkavalier under Herbert von Karajan, on RCA in Ariadne auf Naxos, on Philips in Salome, on DGG in Daphne by R. Strauss and on Westminster in Tosca, on Verona in J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244). In addition further recordings of opera performances exist. |