Gottfried Hornik

Born in Vienna, Hornik studied at the Vienna Academy with teachers including Paula Köhler and Josef Witt. During his vocal studies he sang his first lyric baritone solo roles at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, where he had his first engagement in the 1964/65 season, with roles including Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Silvio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.[2]

From 1965 to 1976, he was engaged at the Graz Opera, where he was able to build up a broad repertoire. After initial roles such as Mozart's Figaro and Don Giovanni, he turned to Wagner, including Alberich in Der Ring des Nibelungen. At the same time he worked as a singing teacher in Graz.[2]

With the 1976/77 season, Hornik was engaged at the Vienna State Opera, where he performed 45 roles in 25 years. He appeared in almost 800 performances, covering roles in German, Italian, French and Russian from the 18th to the 20th century. His roles included Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno and Speaker in Die Zauberflöte, Kurwenal in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and Alberich, and Strauss roles Orest in Elektra, the music teacher in Ariadne auf Naxos, and especially Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier, which he sang 88 times..[2][3]

In May 1995, he sang the role of Don Giulio in the world premiere of Alfred Schnittke's opera Gesualdo.[2] In Das Traumfresserchen, an opera for children by librettist Michael Ende and composer Wilfried Hiller, he could be seen and heard as the King from September 1999 to June 2000 in performances in a tent on the roof terrace of the opera house. He also sang Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in a ballet production.[3] His last role at the house was the aged Emperor Altoum in Turandot in June 2002.[3]

Sixtus Beckmesser in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg became Hornik's signature role. He performed it first at the Theater Aachen, in a production presented at the Liceu in Barcelona in 1976. He appeared as Beckmesser in 1977 at the Graz Opera, in 1978 in both Vienna and at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, in 1979 at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, in 1981 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and in 1993 at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.[2]

In the 1980/81 season, he made his U.S. debut with this role at the San Francisco Opera[4] and in February 1993, performed it at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.[5] In 2001, he made a guest appearance as Beckmesser at the Santiago de Chile Opera.[2]

In the 1976/77 season, Hornik appeared in the title role of Alban Berg's Wozzeck at la Scala in Milan.[6]

In 1980 and 1981, he was engaged at the Salzburg Easter Festival as Klingsor in Wagner's Parsifal. In 1983 and 1984, he appeared as Faninal at the Salzburg Festival, with Herbert von Karajan conducting.[7] In 1989, he returned to Salzburg as Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca.[8]

Since the 1980s, Hornik appeared regularly at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, as 1988 as Alberich. He performed at the Paris Opera in 1981 as Faninal, at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires in 1983 as Papageno, at the Oper Köln in 1983 as Klingsor, and at the Royal Opera House in London in 1987 as Faninal.[2]

In October 1986, he first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, again as Faninal.[9] It was followed by over 50 performances, including Papageno, Frank in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, and Wozzeck.[10]

In 1992, he appeared as Orest at the New Music Hall (Meggaron Mousikis Athenon) in Athens.[2] At the Graz Opera House, he performed the title role of Moses in a production of Schoenberg's Moses and Aron in 1998.[2] In September 2007, he made another guest appearance at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, where his career had begun in the 1960s, in the speaking role as the music teacher in Ariadne auf Naxos.[11]

Hornik taught singing at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz from 1972 to 1978. From 1997, he held a visiting professorship there. His students included Clemens Unterreiner,[1] Anna Siminska (soprano),[12] and Andrejus Kalinovas (tenor).[13]

• Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, with Felicity Lott, Anne Sofie von Otter, Barbara Bonney, Kurt Moll, Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, conductor: Carlos Kleiber, director in Vienna: Otto Schenk, 13 April 1968 (Unitel, Edizioni Del Prado 2004) – as Faninal