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The German tenor, Gerhard Unger, studied at the College of Music in Berlin.
Gerhard Unger debut was delayed by the war until 1945 as a recitalist and oratorio singer and until 1947 on stage at the National Theatre Weimar, where he remained as a member for five years. In 1952, he was engaged by the Berlin State Opera. He was soon appreciated as an interpreter of tenor-buffo parts, then in such lyric roles as Tamino, Alfredo and Pinkerton. He has been a member of the Stuttgart State Opera since 1961 and of The Hamburg State Opera from 1962 to 1973. Guest appearances were made at the Vienna State Opera and at the Dresden State Opera as well as at other important theatres. He was applauded at the Bayreuth Festival in one of his most successful parts, that of David in Die Meistersinger (1951-1952). He performed at the Salzburg Festival as Pedrillo, probably his best role (1962-1963, 1965-1967, 1970-1975); as Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos (1964-1965), as Valzacchi, as Monostatos (1968 and 1974), and in a small part in Salome (1977-1978). In concert at Salzburg, he was heard in 1975 in Carmina Burana and in 1977, Jeanne d'Arc au bucher by Arthur Honegger. At Milan’s La Scala, he sang Jaquino in 1960 and Mime in 1975. He made guest appearances at the Grand Opéra Paris, at the Thêátre de la Monnaie in Brussels (1962), at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires (1966,1981), at the Marseilles Opera (1955) and in Turin (1970). He sang Mime at the Stuttgart State Theatre as recently as 1987.
Gerhard Unger was an excellent concert singer particularly in the works of J.S. Bach.
Recordings: HMV (Waffenschmied, Der fliegende Holländer, Die Meistersinger, Lulu, Bettelstudent), Eterna, Columbia (Entführung aus dem Serail, Meistersinger) Urania (Meistersinger), DGG (Rosenkavalier, Madame Butterfly), Eurodisc (Barbier von Bagdad), Philips (La Finta giardiniera), RBM (Doktor und Apotheker by Dittersdorf), HRE (Fidelio). |
