Vogl, Heinrich

Vogl, Heinrich, famous German tenor; b. Au, near Munich, Jan. 15, 1845; d. Munich, April 21, 1900. He studied music with Franz Lachner, making a successful debut as Max in Der Freischützat the Munich Court Opera (Nov. 5,1865), and remained on its roster until his death. He succeeded Schnorr von Carolsfeld as the model Tristan in Wagner’s opera, and was for years considered the greatest interpreter of that role. He created the roles of Loge in Das Rheingold (Sept. 22,1869) and of Siegmund in Die Walküre (June 26,1870) and sang Loge in the first complete Ringcycle at the Bayreuth Festival (1876). He also appeared as Siegfried in the first Munich mountings of Siegfriedand Götterdämmerung (1878), Loge and Siegmund in the first Berlin Ringcycle (1881), and Loge and Siegfried in the first London Ringcycle (1882). In 1882 he toured in Europe with Angelo Neumann’s Wagner Co.; in 1886 he sang Tristan and Parsifal in Bayreuth. On Jan. 1,1890, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Lohengrin, where he appeared later in the season as Tannhäuser, Loge, both Siegfrieds, and Siegmund. On April 17, 1900, just four days before his death, he appeared as Canio in his last role in Munich. He was also a composer, numbering among his works an opera, Der Fremdling,in which he sang the leading role (Munich, May 7,1899). In 1868 he married the German soprano Thérèse Thoma (b. Tutz-ing, Nov. 12,1845; d. Munich, Sept. 29, 1921), who was a member of the Munich Court Opera (1866-92), where she appeared as Isolde opposite her husband’s Tristan (1869), Wellgunde in the premiere of Das Rheingold (1869), and Sieglinde in the premiere of Die Walküre (June 26, 1870). She also appeared as Brünnhilde in the first complete Ringcycles in Munich (1878) and London (1882); she gave her farewell appearance as Isolde in Munich (Oct. 9, 1892).

Bibliography

H. von der Pfordten, H. V: Zur Erinnerung und zum Vermächtnis (Munich, 1900); R. Wünnenberg, Das Sangerehepaar H. und T. V: Ein Beitrag zur Operngeschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts (Tutzing, 1982).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire