Fritz Hübner (25 April 1933 – 16 June 2000Fritz Hübner
profile, repertoire) was a German operatic

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

. Active from the late 1950s through the 1980s, he was particularly known for his performances in operas by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

. He was born in Sachsengrün, Sudetenland (Zakšov in the Doupov Mountains of the former

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

), and studied at the

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

Conservatory before making his opera debut as Sparafucile in ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'' at the Bernburg Landestheater in 1957. He sang the roles of Fafner and Hagen in ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...

'' at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...

(1976–1980), performing in the "Hundredth Anniversary Ring" conducted by

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

and recorded for

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...

. Hübner sang in the world premieres of

Siegfried Matthus Siegfried Matthus (13 April 1934 – 27 August 2021) was a German composer, conductor, and festival founder and manager. Some of his operas, such as ''Judith'', were premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin in East Berlin. In 1991, he founded the c ...

's '' Der letzte Schuss'' (''The Last Shot'') 1966, Ernst Hermann Meyer's ''Reiter in der Nacht'' (''Rider in the Night'') 1973, and Rainer Kunad's ''Sabellicus'' 1974. Although he performed primarily in German opera houses, he sang at New York's

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

as Hermann in seven performances of ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; ), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name ...

'' during the 1982-1983 season. Hübner died aged 67 in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Recordings

*''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...

'' – Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayreuth Festival; Pierre Boulez, conductor (1979) Label:

*''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'' – Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayreuth Festival; Pierre Boulez, conductor (1980) Label: Philips Records *''

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86A, is the first of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nib ...

'' – Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayreuth Festival; Pierre Boulez, conductor (1980) Label: Philips Records

References

* Bayreuther Festspiele
Biography: Fritz Hübner
(in German). Accessed 30 October 2010. *Cummings, David (ed.)
"Hubner, Fritz"
''International Who's Who in Classical Music'', Routledge, 2000, p. 300. *

Performance Archives
Hübner, Fritz (Bass)
MetOpera Database. Accessed 30 October 2010.

External links

* 1933 births 2000 deaths German operatic basses Czechoslovak people of German descent Naturalized citizens of Germany 20th-century German male opera singers {{Germany-opera-singer-stub