Karl Ridderbusch

Karl Ridderbusch (29 May 1932 – 21 June 1997) was a German operatic bass, associated in particular with the music of Wagner.

Background and early career Karl Ridderbusch was born in Recklinghausen, Germany, and was discovered at an amateur music competition by the tenor Rudolf Schock who helped pay for the younger singer's training. Ridderbusch had previously planned to work as an engineer for his father. After studying at the conservatoire in Duisburg and the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, he made his debut at the State Theatre in Münster in 1961. He also sang Hans Sachs at the 1974 and 1975 Salzburg Easter Festivals, and Sarastro. Among Ridderbusch's comic roles were Baron Ochs, Kecal, and Dr Bartolo. Although he was successful in these, it was the dramatic roles which he excelled. He was honoured as a Kammersänger by the Vienna State Opera in 1978. He also appeared in the concert hall, especially in sacred choral works.

Personal life Karl Ridderbusch died at his home in Wels, Austria, from heart problems and liver disease. He married twice and had three children.

Recordings Several of Karl Ridderbusch's studio recordings were in collaboration with Herbert von Karajan. These include the Ring, Mastersingers, Tristan, "Fidelio", Lohengrin and J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor following performances at the Salzburg Easter Festival. Karl Böhm was another frequent studio partner. Their recordings together include Strauss's Capriccio, Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Mozart's Requiem. Other studio collaborations include the Saint Matthew Passion with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Leonore with Herbert Blomstedt, and Bruckner's Mass in D minor with Eugen Jochum. Among all these, his obituarists have selected Ridderbusch's portrayal of the goldsmith Veit Pogner, the wealthiest of the Mastersingers, and of the impresario La Roche in Capriccio as his most memorable work in the studio.

Recordings from the Bayreuth Festival include Mastersingers under both Böhm and Silvio Varviso, Dutchman under Böhm, Lohengrin under both Rudolf Kempe and Alberto Erede and Parsifal under both Pierre Boulez and Jochum. Live recordings also exist of Ridderbusch singing another role with which he is associated - that of Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier. Ridderbusch's stage presence survives on two commercial videos; as Fafner in Karajan's filming of his Salzburg Rheingold and as Kecal, the marriage broker, in a German-language version of The Bartered Bride.

Solo recordings include Karl Ridderbusch: a portrait and an eponymous double album, both listed by German vendors, and a Loewe recital on LP for Deutsche Grammophon, since anthologised as part of a double CD release of the composer.