Siegfried Lorenz

German baritone born in East Berlin on August 30, 1945, Siegfried Lorenz is best known for his recordings of Schubert lieder and his roles at the Berlin Opera. After studying at the Hanns Eisler School of Music and winning prizes in several competitions, he made his debut at the Berlin Opéra-Comique in 1969, before being engaged as soloist by Kurt Masur at the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1973, in a position created for him. During this period, he recorded Schubert lieder with pianist Norman Shetler and Bach cantatas for the East German label Eterna. From 1978 to 1982, Siegfried Lorenz worked at the Berlin State Opera, taking on a wide range of roles in operas by Mozart, Wagner, Verdi and Pfitzner's Palestrina. He records the Kindertotenlieder lieder cycle with orchestra and continues the series dedicated to Schubert. The total of 151 songs recorded between 1974 and 1987 is spread over a boxed set of 8 CDs. His repertoire also extends to Wolf's Lieder and operas by Hindemith, Zemlinsky, Prokofiev and Gubaidulina. In 1994, his recording of Wagner's opera Les Maîtres Chanteurs de Nuremberg, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, won a Grammy Award. The baritone has also performed in recitals around the world and received several awards. Between the Kunstpreis in 1976 and the GDR National Prize in 1983, he was awarded the title of Kammersänger by the Berlin Opera in 1979. As a professor, he taught at the Hamburg Conservatory (2001-2003), then at the Berlin University of the Arts. On August 24, 2024, Siegfried Lorenz died at the age of 78.

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