Eberhard Katz
A son of the mayor of the village where he was born, Katz was a brewer at the well-known beer plant there for many years, and as
a soloist in amateur choirs gained local prominence as "the singing brewer". Eventually, he studied voice at the Cologne academy
of music, with the enthusiastic (and financial) support of his brewery, where he continued to work (four days a week at the
beer plant, two days at the academy).
He spent his entire career, from 1962 to 1997, at the Cologne opera theater. Additionally, he was at the Stuttgart opera for
many years, where he even sang until 1998. He never sang exclusively main roles, but he sang quite a lot of them, and very
heavy ones to boot (even Tristan); in the long second part of his career, he only appeared in small and smallest parts,
even in speaking parts. Ariadne auf Naxos (Bacchus) – Tübingen, Studentische Festwochen, 22 June 1961 Tiefland (Pedro) – Tübingen, Studentische Festwochen, 1961 Simon Boccanegra (Capitano) – Köln, Opernhaus, 1962 Die Zauberflöte (1. Geharnischter) – Köln, Opernhaus, February 1962 Nabucco (Ismaele) – Köln, Opernhaus, 1963 Rodelinda (Grimoaldo) – May 1963 Der Zaubertrank (Zweite Stimme: Tristan) – Köln, Opernschule, 23 June 1962 Der Rosenkavalier (Wirt) – Köln, Opernhaus, 14 November 1963 Skazka o tsare Saltane (Gvidon) – Köln, Opernhaus, 9 December 1963 Cavalleria rusticana (Turiddu) – Köln, Opernhaus Lohengrin (2. Edler) – Köln, Opernhaus, 19 December 1963 Aida (Messaggero) – Köln, Opernhaus, 21 December 1963 Der Freischütz (Max) – Köln, Opernhaus, 21 December 1963 Fidelio (1. Gefangener) – Köln, Opernhaus, 1 January 1964 Arabella (Elemer) – Köln, Opernhaus, 1964 Fidelio (Florestan) – Köln, Opernhaus, 6 March 1964 Der fliegende Holländer – Köln, Opernhaus, 12 April 1964 Pikovaja dama – Köln, Opernhaus, 9 May 1964 Billy Budd (Red Wiskes) – Köln, Opernhaus, 1965 Die Walküre – Köln, Opernhaus, February 1965 Salome – Köln, Opernhaus, 17 September 1965 Macbeth (Macduff) – Köln, Opernhaus, 1966 Khovanshchina (Golitsyn) – Köln, Opernhaus, 1966 Tannhäuser – Köln, Opernhaus, 8 February 1967 Lohengrin – Dortmund, Opernhaus, 23 September 1967 Skazanie o nevidimom grade Kitezhe i deve Fevronii (Vsevolod) – Köln, Opernhaus, 3 February 1968 Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Jack) – Köln, Opernhaus, 29 March 1969 Tristan und Isolde – Dortmund, Opernhaus, 24 January 1970 Boris Godunov (Shujskij) – Köln, Opernhaus, 30 September 1970 Parsifal – Dortmund, Concert, March 1972 Der Besuch der alten Dame (Bügermeister) – Köln, Opernhaus, 7 October 1972 Prodaná nevěsta (Principál) – Köln, Opernhaus, 27 May 1973 Contes d'Hoffmann (Spalanzani) – Köln, Opernhaus, 5 October 1980 Die Fledermaus (Orlofsky) – Köln, Opernhaus, 31 January 1983 Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (Iro) – Köln, Opernhaus Agrippina (Narciso) – Schwetzinger Festspiele, 1 May 1985 Idomeneo (Poseidon) Die Meistersinger von Nüberg (Vogelsang) – Köln, Opernhaus Il barbiere di Siviglia (Ufficiale) Carmen (Lillas Pastia) Reference: Klaus Schreiber Eberhard Katz Vom Krombacher Chorsänger zum gefeierten Heldentenor. Stationen eines Künsterlebens, 2003 I wish to thank Claude Ribou for the picture and broadside. |
