Hans Sotin (born 10 September 1939) is a German

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic bass. He was born in Dortmund and studied at the Dortmund

Hochschule ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right t ...

für Musik. He made his operatic debut in 1962 in Essen as the Police Commissioner in

Strauss Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually re ...

's ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...

''. He joined the Hamburg State Opera in 1964 where he was made a

Kammersänger Kammersänger (male) or Kammersängerin (female), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was bestowed by princes or ...

. He had a long career in which he sang most of the major bass roles in many opera houses, both in Europe and America. He made numerous appearances at the Bayreuth Festival over several decades. His signature roles were Sarastro and the major Wagnerian noble-bass roles, including King Marke,

Gurnemanz The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...

, the Landgrave, and Veit Pogner. He occasionally played Baron Ochs, and Hunding. He played

Wotan (''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 ''Nibelun ...

a few times. Sotin made numerous recordings of operatic, sacred, and symphonic works, including the

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

'' Requiem'', the Rossini ''Stabat Mater'', Beethoven's ''

Choral Symphony A choral symphony is a musical composition for orchestra, choir, and sometimes solo vocalists that, in its internal workings and overall musical architecture, adheres broadly to symphonic musical form. The term "choral symphony" in this contex ...

'', ''

Missa Solemnis {{Audio, De-Missa solemnis.ogg, Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass, and is a genre of musical settings of the Mass Ordinary, which are festively scored and render the Latin text extensively, opposed to the more modest Missa brevis. In French ...

'' and ''Mass in C'', Mahler's ''

Symphony of a Thousand The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. As it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces it is frequently called the "Symphony of a Thousand", although th ...

'', Mozart's ''Mass in C minor'', Haydn's ''

Paukenmesse ''Missa in tempore belli'' ('' en, Mass in Time of War'') is a setting of the mass by Joseph Haydn. It is catalogued Mass No. 10The Haydn masses are sorted using chronological indices given by New Grove. The Hoboken catalogue had also placed the m ...

'', and Creation, Bach's '' Saint Matthew Passion'', and the roles of Sarastro and the Second Armed Man in two recordings of ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

'', King Marke in ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. It was comp ...

'', King Heinrich der Vogler in ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...

'', and Don Alfonso in ''

Cosi fan tutte Cosi, COSI or CoSi may refer to: * '' Così'', a 1992 play by Louis Nowra ** ''Cosi'' (film), 1996, based on the play * Così (restaurant), an American fast-casual restaurant chain * Compton Spectrometer and Imager, or COSI, a NASA telescope to ...

''. He can be seen on video as Sarastro as Gurnemanz, and as the Landgrave. He sang, and recorded, some of the heroic ballads and odes by

Carl Loewe Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (; 30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869), usually called Carl Loewe (sometimes seen as Karl Loewe), was a German composer, tenor singer and conductor. In his lifetime, his songs ("Balladen") were well enough known for s ...

. Since 1992, he has been a professor at the

Hochschule für Musik Köln ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

. His retirement from the stage was celebrated on 1 June 2012 at the Richard Wagner Festival in

Wels Wels (; Central Bavarian: ''Wös'') is a city in Upper Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is the county seat of Wels-Land, and with a population of approximately 60,000, the eighth largest city in Austria. Geography Wels is in the ...

."Gala Performance – Stage Farewell of KS Hans Sotin"
, wagner-festival-wels.net, 1 June 2012.

References

External links

* Nicolas Slonimsky: '' Baker's Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Classical Musicians'', New York: Schirmer, 1997.
Short biography and discography on the Städtische Bühnen Münster site
25 October 1980
Hans Sotin singing Carl Loewe's ballad "Odin's Meeres-Ritt" on YouTubeThe voice of the AlmightyPogner the Goldsmith in MEISTERSINGER (Wagner)Osmin from THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO
German operatic basses 1939 births Living people {{germany-opera-singer-stub