Richard Tauber Suggest updates
Ernst Seiffert Denemy.
Born Linz, 16 May 1892.
Died London, 8 January 1948.
Austrian, later British, tenor.
Richard Tauber established an important career in Austria and Germany before settling in Britain. He was renowned as a Mozart stylist and created roles in several operettas by Lehár. By the time of his 1935 British tour he was famous for cinema and recordings as well as opera and concert work.
Tauber came from a theatrical family, with his father general manager (Intendant) at the Chemnitz opera. That was the place of his debut in 1913 as Tamino. His main operatic engagements on the continent were at Dresden (1913-26) and Vienna (1926-38), with regular Festival appearances at Salzburg and Munich. Tauber interspersed operatic work with operetta, which he also sang in Britain, where he quickly became hugely popular, particularly through his recordings and films. He sang at Covent Garden in the 1938-9 season.
When the Vienna State Opera visited Covent Garden in 1947, Tauber joined them as a guest for an emotional reunion. He was already sick with cancer, and in spite of only having one working lung, he caused astonishment with his breath control when singing Don Ottavio's arias.
