Spas Wenkoff

Spas Wenkoff (Спас Венков) (23 September 1928 – 12 August 2013) was a Bulgarian-Austrian operatic tenor. He was known internationally for mastering the heldentenor roles by Wagner, such as Tristan and Tannhäuser. He appeared in his signature role Tristan first in 1975 at the Staatsoper Dresden, followed by the centenary Bayreuth Festival in 1976, and the Metropolitan Opera in 1981, among many others. He was a member of the Berlin State Opera from 1976 to 1984, and then appeared freelance at major opera houses. He was awarded the title Kammersänger in both Berlin and Vienna.

Career Born in Veliko Tarnovo, Wenkoff initially studied law and worked for several years as a lawyer. He also studied singing, first in Tarnovo and Ruse, later in Dresden with Johannes Kemter. He worked as legal advisor, and was also second concertmaster in an amateur operetta theatre in his hometown. In 1954, he made his stage debut in the operetta Keto and Kote by Viktor Dolidze. Until 1963, he was full-time operetta tenor at the theatre, performing around 1000 times. He then moved to Ruse, Bulgaria's second largest opera house. Besides operetta, he appeared as Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata and as Gounod's Faust. He sang there until 1965. In 1965 he moved to East Germany, and worked at first a member of the Stadttheater Döbeln in Saxony, where he appeared in the title role of Weber's Der Freischütz, as Riccardo in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera and in the title role of Otello, among others. He moved in 1968 to the Theater Magdeburg, and appeared from 1971 to 1976 at the Halle Opera House. On 12 October 1975, after a successful audition with stage director Harry…Citește mai mult

Awards Wenkoff was a Kammersänger of both the Berlin State Opera and the Vienna State Opera. He was an honorary citizen of his hometown Veliko Tarnovo and honorary member of several Wagner associations. A biography was written on the occasion of his 80th birthday by Peter M. Schneider, titled Heldentenor Spas Wenkoff: alles war Zufall.

Recordings Ein Opernabend mit Spas Wenkoff. Richard Wagner: Arien und Szenen. CD at Ars Vivendi, earlier as LP at Eterna 1977. Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde. Complete recording. CD for Myto with Carlos Kleiber. Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde. Excerpts. CD for Bella Voce with Otmar Suitner. Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser. Recording of the Bayreuth Festival 1978. DVD for Deutsche Grammophon. Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser. Complete recording (Berlin, 1982). Gala 3 CDs GL100621.

Literature Peter M. Schneider: Heldentenor Spas Wenkoff. Alles war Zufall. BS-Verlag, Rostock 2008, ISBN 978-3-86785-045-2 (Biography)

Spas Wenkoff discography at Discogs Boris Gruhl: "Ein denkwürdiger Tristan", musik-in-dresden.de, 19 August 2013 Spas Wenkoff on Bayerisches Musiker-Lexikon Online (BMLO) "Wagnerian Tenor Spas Wenkoff Dies At 84", Billboard, 14 August 2013