Toni Blankenheim (12 December 192111 December 2012) was 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 baritone. He notably sang major roles in the operas of Alban Berg: the title role of ''

Wozzeck ''Wozzeck'' () is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama '' Woyzeck'', which the German playwright Georg Büchner left incomplete at ...

'', produced for television in 1970 (later issued on DVD), and the role of Schigolch in the 1981 recording of ''

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

'' which won a

Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by m ...

. He is also on record singing the role of

Alberich In German heroic legend, Alberich () is a dwarf. He features most prominently in the poems ''Nibelungenlied'' and ''Ortnit''. He also features in the Old Norse collection of German legends called the Thidreksaga under the name Alfrikr. His name me ...

at Bayreuth. His memorable Beckmesser in

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

's '' Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' with the Hamburg State Opera has been preserved and is available on DVD. This performance is evidence of Blankenheim's charismatic stage presence and acting gifts.

Sources

*Cummings, David (ed.)
"Blankenheim, Toni"
''International Who's Who in Classical Music'', Routledge, 2003. p. 77.

References

1921 births German operatic baritones 2012 deaths 20th-century German musicians 20th-century German male musicians {{germany-opera-singer-stub