World War II delayed his debut until 1945; he began as a concert and oratorio singer. In 1947,
he made his stage debut in Weimar, where he was to sing main roles for the next five years: Alfredo, Tamino, Pinkerton, but
also David. In 1952, he went to the Berlin Staatsoper, where he developed into a much appreciated comprimario tenor. His most
famous roles were Pedrillo and David.
From 1961 to 1987, he sang in Stuttgart, from 1962 to 1973 also in Hamburg. Many guest appearances: Bayreuth (David, 1951
and 1952), Salzburg Festival (Pedrillo, 1962–75, plus a lot of other roles and concerts, he was also a famous Bach
interpreter for instance), La Scala, Paris Opéra,
Théâtre de la Monnaie, Teatro Colón, Marseille, Dresden, Vienna, Torino, Dallas.
Reference: Kutsch & Riemens
Source for the Meistersinger recording: SLUB Dresden
